Midwest Migrant

Happy Everything

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

"Happy Everything" (December 2011, Chicago)
Ilford Delta 3200, Holga 120n, home developed in Ilford DD-X

"The Impossible Project" . . . Perhaps Too Aptly Named?

2012-02-11T12:30:00.000-06:00

This is a post about giving up on a good idea.

My old, super cool SX-70 camera and some "re-imagined" instant film from The Impossible Project. Such a good idea, going nowhere fast. (Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f/1.7)

I really, really wanted the people over at The Impossible Project to succeed. I bought a decent amount of their early attempts, knowing that what I was actually doing was subsidizing their research, rather than purchasing a viable film format at that time. And the initial progress was hopeful - the films got better. Unfortunately, they never got "good."

"Gotham" (September 2010, SX-70, TIP PX 100 film)

This is one of my early attempts with TIP film, and still probably my favorite result. Temperature sensitivity has made the TIP films very difficult to work with out of doors here in Chicago, where the temps tend to reside at either end of the extreme and are rarely settled into the 60-70 degree range where the film seems to work best.

As TIP has gone forward, it seems that the emphasis has shifted. From my perspective, it seems like TIP has essentially abandoned the idea of developing a true replacement for the Polaroid integral films, and are now just intent on milking the hipsters for every red cent they can before the fad fades.

"K Playing Scrabble" (above), "J & C At The Ballpark" (below) (May 2011, Polaroid Spectra, TIP PZ 600 film)
You can see the marked temperature effect between the two shots above. Both were from the same pack of PZ 600 film. The top shot was taken in an air conditioned hotel room, the bottom shot was taken outdoors on a hot and humid day.

The first few iterations of the TIP films showed decent improvement - the "Silver Shade" product got closer to providing a neutral black and white, and the "Color Shade" product, while remaining washed out and very soft, was actually getting to the point where it was differentiating colors and not just a wash of muddy blue tones. You were still having to shield the prints immediately upon leaving the camera, but the UV protection was at least getting better.

"Ye Olde Ball Game" (May 2011, Polaroid Spectra, TIP PZ 600 film)
Another shot from the ballpark. In this case, the strong sepia/yellow cast actually works, making the picture seem old and giving it a nostalgic feel.

But then things seemed to stall. The email updates from TIP became less and less about advances to the film, and more and more about marketing gimmicks - "limited editions," different color image frames, accessories and refurbished Polaroid cameras priced for hipsters living in trust fund lofts rather than tip jar apartments. And as actual improvements to the product appeared to get fewer and farther between, the cost of the product got higher and higher - including the need to sometimes buy additional products to make up for deficiencies in the film itself. Right now, TIP film will run you approximately $3.00 per shot, not including shipping. Pretty steep rate for an unstable, unpredictable and (let's face it) still highly flawed product.

"Summer Garden" (June 2011, Polaroid 600, TIP PX 600 UV+ Black Frame film)
Case in point as to the gimmicks - the shot above is a special edition of the PX 600 UV+ film. Still has the same temperature sensitivity problems, still too sensitive to light during development, still a problem with uneven distribution of developer chemicals (see the cutout in the center top of the frame), but hey the enclosure is black, isn't that cool? (Of course, if you just scan the image without the "way cool" black frame - as above - you are just left with a finicky, over-priced film product.)

I don't know why the research seems to have stalled. Perhaps the technical hurdles are just too steep to overcome at the scale that TIP is able to fund. Perhaps the partial re-introduction of integral Polaroid/Fuji films has killed off some of the demand - and therefore the funding base - for TIP films. I have not used the Fuji Instax or the Polaroid 300 (which is essentially a rebranded Fuji Mini 25), but from what I've heard the quality is heads and tails above the TIP films at less than a third the cost per shot. True, the newer cameras leave a lot to be desired in the cool-factor category. Frankly, they are just plain ugly, at least in my opinion. But having an attractive box to run your film through only gets you so far if the film itself fails to deliver.

Supposedly, there are even more improved versions of the TIP films coming down the pike later this year. Indeed, the last email that I got from TIP was a bundling sale, that appears to be trying to clear out all of the old (and now for much of it, expired) film stock. However, even at the "super sale" price the per shot cost is still more than $1, which is where to my mind the cost should be in general. The new "improved" versions of the films will almost certainly be more in the $2 to $3+ per shot cost range, and if the most recent updates are any guide, improvements will likely be incremental, at best.

Perhaps I would think differently if I was more of a studio shooter. (There is some very cool work being done with these films, but almost all of it is studio work where the important factors - temperature, lighting, etc. can be controlled to optimize the result.) However, I'm not, and given the ongoing disappointment with the TIP films (not to mention the expense), I have reluctantly decided to give up on integral films altogether. The quality is just not there for the production of traditional photographic images, even in the Fuji/Polaroid integral films, and I simply don't think in the artistic way needed to elevate the types of images you can get with TIP films to get something that is worth clicking the shutter.

I sold off my second SX-70 body some time ago, and will be putting the other one up on the fleaBay this weekend. I still dream of TIP (or perhaps Fuji, Polaroid or ?????) resurrecting the SX-70 with a quality film product to run through it, I don't think the chances are at all likely, and I would rather use my time and money to subsidize other aspects of the (still shrinking) film market that provide me with the quality and usage experience that make them worthwhile now, rather than those that dangle the chance of that on some ill-defined future date while expecting me to pay premium rates for an inferior product.

Sorry TIP . . . it's not me, it's you. Later.

"Wake Me Up When You Get Your S#*t Together" (June 2011, Polaroid 600, TIP PX 600 UV+ film)

OOFF (Out Of Focus Fridays) - "Night Moves"

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

November 2010, San Francisco, California (Canon Rebel XTi, 18-200mm, 1600 ISO)

First Snow of 2012 (Con't) - Rosehill Cemetery

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

January 2012, Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f/1.7, 400 ISO, f/8.0 @ 1/500
Black & white conversion in Lightroom 3

A few more shots from the only decent snowfall we have had yet this season. These are from the Rosehill Cemetery here in Chicago. This is great, huge older cemetery a little north of where I live. You will often see other photographers there, but the morning of these shots it was just me and the groundskeepers, who were busy plowing the numerous roads that wind through the cemetery grounds.

January 2012, Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f/1.7, 400 ISO, f/8.0 @ 1/320
Black & white conversion in Lightroom 3

January 2012, Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f/1.7, 400 ISO, f/8.0 @ 1/500
Black & white conversion in Lightroom 3

January 2012, Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f/1.7, 400 ISO, f/8.0 @ 1/250
Black & white conversion in Lightroom 3

First (And Last?) Real Snow of 2012

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

January 2012, Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f/1.7, 400 ISO, f/8.0 @ 1/20

Middle of last month we had the first snow of the New Year, and what will perhaps turn out to be the only real snow of the 2012 Winter. Chicago has been having extremely mild weather this year. The usual sub-20s temperatures and snows that require you to dig your car out the next day have yet to materialize. I don't mind the milder temperatures and certainly don't mind not having to excavate a couple feet of snow just to have a parking space, but at least snow gives the otherwise dead and gray landscape some visual interest. Without the occasional snowfall, the Midwest landscape can get pretty bleak between December and March.

January 2012, Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f/1.7, 400 ISO, f/8.0 @ 1/20

January 2012, Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f/1.7, 400 ISO, f/8.0 @ 1/15

Food Motivated

2012-02-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

This is Rudder waiting for a treat at the September 2011 8K/5K run/walk event for the local no-kill pet shelter, PAWS. They put on the event every year, and this is the second year that Rudder, K and I have participated. Always fun to see all the other dogs and all the money raised goes towards PAWS and other pet-related charities.

Still a little behind on dealing with the last of the 2011 film images, but am (slowly) catching up.

Cross-processed Kodak EB-2 (expired), Canon A-1, 50mm f/1.8
Rudder Waiting For Treats @ PAWS "Run For Their Lives", September 2011, Chicago, Illinois

Fuji 400H Film With The Holga

2012-02-04T16:00:00.000-06:00

I would like to like Fuji Pro 400H more than I do, as it would be nice to have an alternative to Kodak Portra 400. Jury is still out, generally, but it doesn't work that well with my Holga. The Fuji film appears to be rated at least a stop faster than it really is - meaning that it really needs to be overexposed to get decent colors and negative thickness. Since the Holga only has two aperture settings (at best) and one shutter speed, you either need to get just the right lighting conditions, or you need a fairly forgiving film. Black & white films tend to have a lot more exposure latitude, so you can get decent exposures under much more varied lighting conditions than with color negative film. Kodak Portra 400 also has a lot of exposure latitude, although not as much as the better black & whites. I've had very good luck with the Holga using Portra. However, given Kodak's recent troubles, and its apparent attitude toward us "backward" film shooters, having an alternative would be both helpful and prudent. Unfortunately, it looks like the Fuji isn't going to be it.

"Eventide" (Roscoe Village, Chicago, October 2011)
Holga 120n, Fuji Pro 400H
I like this shot, even though it is strongly underexposed, as I think the underexposure helps create a mysterious and evocative mood.

"A Little Light Is So Religious" (Roscoe Village, Chicago, October 2011)
Holga 120n, Fuji Pro 400H
This shot shows a much better exposure, resulting from the more direct light on the steeple and the bright sky.

OOFF (Out of Focus Fridays) - Squinting At The Bergoff

2012-02-03T17:30:00.000-06:00

(Cross-processed Kodak EB-2 (expired), Canon A-1, 50mm f/1.8)
September 2011, Chicago, Illinois

2012 Photography Goals

2012-02-01T17:30:00.000-06:00

1) Shoot a lot more pictures - mostly film, but also digital;

2) Of more subjects - places, people, things and styles;

3) And follow through - organize, edit, print, share and display.

The sign of a true photo geek . . . stacks of negative preservers ready to be filled with all my brilliant photographic masterpieces (or, you know . . . pictures of cats and stuff).

So back in mid-2011, I put together a list of self-styled "photography assignments" that I hoped to complete over the summer and before the end of the year. Life intruded, and due to a combination of work and other factors, I got around to very few of the items on my list.

This year, while many of the same intentions remain, a more streamlined, more general, approach to goals and self-assignments would seem prudent. My photography doesn't pay the rent - at this point, it doesn't even pay for itself - but it does help to keep me sane and it is much more satisfying to take it seriously than to approach it in a slip-shod manner. To that end, my photography goals for this year can really be summarized as: shoot more and actually do something with the images after the shutter is tripped.

That said, I do have some specific ideas in mind both for the "shoot more" front side and the "follow up" back end, that I hope to accomplish in the next month of so. Right now we are still in the "ugly season" of Chicago's winter, but there photos still to be taken and spring will be here soon. I'm really digging black and white film photography at the moment - especially now that I am getting a handle on doing my own development at home - and this town has a lot of great landscapes and subjects to explore.

Getting back into film has definitely reactivated my love of photography, but there is definitely no assurance that the analog medium will continue to be viable and/or affordable in the long-term, especially as to color film availability and processing. But that is even more reason to make the most of it now, while it is still relatively accessible and cheap to shoot film.

Heading Downtown

2012-01-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

"Heading Downtown" (December 2011, Chicago Loop)
Expired Kodak Tri-X 400, Canon A-1, 50mm f/1.8

Since I have had a little unexpected time on my hands of late, I have taken the opportunity to start developing my own black and white film. I had been keeping a bag of exposed 35mm and 120 rolls to experiment with and have gotten about half-way through the bag. I must say that doing my own developing has been a very rewarding experience. There is just something almost mystical about pulling the developed negatives out of the tank. Turns out to be a lot easier and cheaper than I had thought, (and quite a bit faster and easier than sending out, as well). This probably means you will be seeing a lot more black and white as the blog goes forward.

Sometimes The Imperfection Makes The Image

2012-01-17T22:00:00.000-06:00

"The Flyover" (Canon 40D, ISO 400, 17-40mm f/4L)

Definitely Not Harry Potter

2012-01-16T22:00:00.000-06:00

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well written and unique take on the "school for young magicians" idea. I immediately got the sequel to read, so that must say something. But the main characters are often very difficult to like - self-indulgent, selfish, over-privileged and entitled. A big thread through the book is how hard - so very, very hard - it is to actually get everything that you want. (Maybe so, but I would be willing to try it out and report back.)

View all my reviews

2012-01-14T14:00:00.000-06:00

"2 x 56" (Fuji 100B, Polaroid Land 250)

What You May Find While Walking Your Dog

2012-01-10T18:00:00.000-06:00

"Hidden Path" (Fuji 100B, Polaroid Land 250)
This is a neat little path behind some an older housing complex, which runs next to a part of the Chicago River. Oddly, the path is blocked off where it goes under the overpass you can see off in the distance in the upper third. Nice little path, that I never see anyone on.

"What Remains" (Fuji 100B, Polaroid Land 250)
One week ago, this was an old, brick Chicago 3-flat.

Nostalgia?

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

"September 2, 1880" (Polaroid Spectra, IP PZ 600 Silver Shade - Cincinnati, Ohio, May 2011)

"Stadium" (Polaroid Spectra, IP PZ 600 Silver Shade - Cincinnati, Ohio, May 2011)

Some shots taken early last year at the Cincinnati Reds ballpark. K and I took in a game after she had run the Flying Pig Marathon. Shots are taken with a Polaroid Spectra camera, using the then-current iteration of Impossible Project's Silver Shade Film. It was a hot and humid day, and the IP film was having trouble with the heat, creating the washed out, yellow tones. You can get some interesting effects with this film, but it was and remains a very unpredictable and inconsistent medium.

History

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

Even though I started this ride as a country boy in Toughskins, at this point I'm a confirmed city boy, through and through.

Still, there is something that draws me about the rural Midwest landscape. There is a beautiful longing and loneliness in these spaces.

"Strata" (Canon 40D, EF 70-200mm f/4L @ 400 ISO, Wisconsin, November 2010)

Homestead (Canon 40D, EF 70-200mm f/4L @ 400 ISO, Wisconsin, November 2010)

Silent Night

2011-12-24T20:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Best Wishes to all.
May you be well, safe, warm and sound. And may you and yours always find your ways home.

"Sentinel" (Canon 40D, EF 70-200mm f/4L @ 800 ISO, Wisconsin, November 2010)

OOFF - Experimenting With Abstracts

2011-08-19T19:30:00.039-05:00

Memory of Twighlight, Chicago IL
(Mamiya RB67Pro, 90mm f3.8, expired Polaroid 669 film, Epson V600)

Learning To Play With New Toys

2011-08-13T22:00:00.053-05:00

A few of the first shots from my "new" Mamiya RB67 Pro. The Holga is a total medium format gateway drug of a camera. It's is very fun and gets you to appreciate the possibilities of the larger negatives, but it is not exactly a precision instrument. I was looking for something that would give me better control and the RB67s have a good rep and are going for a song on the used market. I picked up a body and standard lens on eBay and a couple more lenses from keh.com. The Mamiya is a complete monster, it's got to weight at least 10 pounds, and is built like a tank - not exactly a street shooter - but so far has been living up to its hype. Shooting with it is a lot more involved than with your standard 35mm slr, but I can't argue with the end results - big, gorgeous negatives. What's not to like?

Garlic Scapes, June 2011, Chicago IL
(Mamiya RB67Pro, 90mm f3.8, Fomopan 400, developed by 120processing.com, scanned self w/Epson V600)

The photos were taken in my apartment's backyard, over the fence into our neighbor's garden. The back yards of the neighbors on either side of our place put our backyard to shame. On one side, we have a landscape artist whose place could be featured in a magazine. On the other side we have an older Cuban gentleman, who has cultivated about a third of his yard into a lush garden. He is getting on in years, but you will still see him most afternoons puttering around with his wide, floppy straw hat, his cigar, and his khaki shorts. (We should all only hope to be so cool in our old age.)

Grubs

2011-08-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of my youngest brother's spawn, including my most recent nephew. He was supremely unimpressed with his uncle, as you can see.

Chill'n at Grandma's House (Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f1.7 @ 400 ISO)

Cute kids, bro. Good for you they take after their mom. ;)

Fly Me Home

2011-08-04T22:30:00.002-05:00

Lake Union, Seattle, Washington (mid-2002)
(not sure of the camera or lens used here, probably shot on some crappy supermarket Fuji Superia 200)

In a (probably fruitless) effort to actually get my photographs organized, I've been going back through my image archives and doing some long-overdue editing. (Read, killing of my babies, my babies I tell ya!!) Actually exercising the delete key has been depressingly easy. Why did I keep taking pictures when I clearly sucked so badly at being a photographer? Pure stubborn contrariness would appear to be the only credible answer.

Anyway, as I have been sorting through there have been a few images that still make me smile. Not always the best technical images, either. Case and point is the photo above - the grain is ugly, the composition questionable and the lens flare unintentional. Still, the light and the mood of the image for me really strongly evokes Seattle and makes me homesick and nostalgic.

Might be more of these oldies to come.

Guardian

2011-08-02T19:30:00.000-05:00

Holga 120N, Kodak T-Max 400
(processing by 120processing.com; scanned with Epson V600)

An early spring shot from my neighbor's garden.

Frantic

2011-07-31T17:00:00.002-05:00

A little experiment with the Holga and multiple exposures.

Holga 120N, Kodak T-Max 400
(processing by 120processing.com; scanned with Epson V600)

2011-07-17T16:30:00.025-05:00

"12" (Panasonic GF1, 20mm f1.7 @ 400 ISO)

At the SeaTac airport, waiting for my flight back to Chicago after spending the weekend hanging out with the family at my parents' house in Olympia, Washington. Found this and a few similar examples on a early morning trek around the nearby fire roads. This seems to be the result of either: 1) an artistic and bored lumber worker, or 2) a really out-of-the-box thinking tagger. Ran across several of these stylized numbers painted onto stumps on my morning photo safari. No repeat of the numbers and they did not appear to be sequential, at least as far as I could tell. Maybe an art project from the local college?

A Few More Random Holga Shots

2011-07-11T06:30:00.001-05:00

Ride Report: 2011 MS Tour de Farms

2011-07-08T19:30:00.005-05:00

Day 1, Rest Stop #3 (came back through twice more - once for the 100-mile loop, once for the 125-mile loop)
Panasonic Lumix GF1 20mm f1.7 (all other photos taken with iPhone 3Gs)

The weekend before last I participated in the Multiple Sclerosis Society's "MS Tour de Farms" bicycle charity ride. It is a two-day ride that is held annually in DeKalb, Illinois, which is about 70 miles west of Chicago. This was the first year that I did the MS ride, but it probably won't be the last. Near perfect weather was just the cherry on top of a really fun, well-supported event.

The ride is split into two parts and you can ride both or either: Day One (Saturday) had the most participants and you were able to choose from 35, 50, 75, 100 (century) or 125 (double metric century) mile rides. Day Two (Sunday), which did not have quite as many riders and generally seemed a lot more low-key and laid back, had 35, 50 and 75 mile options. The routes between the two days had the same starting point, but were completely different, with the day one route heading north of the town and the day two route heading south.

Never one to pass on the opportunity to go to excess, I did the longest routes each day. The first day I rode on my own the entire route, but was able to tag along with different groups at different times. Most of the large ride groups are going faster than me, and those are also most of the riders doing the longer routes. This meant that the course got progressively emptier as the day went along. I was not in the stragglers at the very end on either day, but I was definitely in the back half of the riders that did the longer routes. (I may not be fast, but I am persistent.)

Day one also had near perfect weather. It was sunny and cool, but not cold, in the early morning, with the day getting overcast and staying cool through the afternoon. Riders were able to start anytime between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., but I got to the start line early because I knew that I wanted to do the long route and rolled out with the mass start, which included a large portion of the large riding groups. The first 10-15 miles of the day was a casual, party-ride atmosphere with the riders being so plentiful as to take up the entire right side of the road and with few riders really pushing the speed of the group.

As the ride progressed, the riders began to thin out and you started to get pace lines and drafting groups forming up. I tagged along with some of the less aggressive of these groups and made really good time for my first 60 miles. Then, about mile 70 I made a big mistake and neglected to eat at the century loop rest stop. I was feeling good and so just filled my water bottles and headed back out. The back half of that 25-mile loop was probably the hilliest part of the course, and I was bonking pretty hard by the half-way point and ended up just crawling along, literally cursing at myself to keep me going. (Hopefully there were no small children within earshot.)

Some crazy Aussies, attempting to do the full 125-mile double century on a single-speed, beach cruiser tandem
. . . in togas. I think they ran out of time and "only" made it through the century, bickering the whole time
like an old spinster couple. My understanding is that they also raised a very healthy chunk of money for MS
in the process. Hats off to you both! Bloody brilliant - one of the high points of the entire ride.

You have to love the headgear. There was a woman at the start line on Saturday doing these balloon treatments to your helmets for a small donation to MS. Good stuff.

Cant' remember this little guy's name, but he was the official cheer squad at the century loop rest station, cowbell and MS scarf and all. Brought home one of these scarves for Rudder. No cowbell for Rudder...yet.

I made it back to the overlap rest stop and came very close to calling it a day, forgoing the second loop and settling for just the century (100-mile) distance. The one real critique I have of the ride is that the "double metric" (125-mile distance) involved just doing the "century loop" twice. Even though the scenery wasn't all that varied - cornfield, cornfield, cornfield . . . ooh hog farm!, cornfield, cornfield . . . - something about knowing that you were just going to have to go and do 25 miles of route that you had already done was very disheartening. Some of this was likely due to the fact that I was a bit bonked at that point, but it would have been easier to pick the longer route if it meant seeing some new roads.

Still, when the time came to make the turn back to the start or go for the double-metric, I made the right choice and headed out on my second time around the "century loop." Since I had eaten at the overlap rest station, and made sure to eat at the century loop rest station this time around, the second lap was better than the first, but I never really recovered back to the level I had been at before the bonk. Also, by this point the riders were getting pretty thin on the roads. Out of the approximately 2000 riders for the event as a whole, only about 3 or 4 dozen riders did the double metric, and I was probably somewhere in the last third of that group. Speed is definitely not my strong suit - in the last 20 miles I watched my average speed steadily drop as the post-bonk effects continued to do their work - but I can be impressively obstinate.

Across the finish at the end of Day 1 and an extra three miles due to misreading a sign
(completely my fault, not the event's). When the GPS hit 125 and I knew that if I hadn't gone off course
I would have been done, I died a little inside. This was the second-farthest I have ever ridden in one day.

While Day One had been an energetic run on the front end, with a whole lot of suffering on the back; Day Two was a casual, friendly ride on the front end, followed by a long, tail-wind enhanced sprint to the finish line.

Day 2, Front End of the 75-mile Loop, still heading into the wind.

On the morning of day two, I met up with some friends who had done the 75-mile route on day one and were planning on following that up with a relatively easy 50 miles. After a questionable, but tasty, breakfast of reconstituted eggs, greasy sausages and oatmeal served up in large buffet chaffing pans over sterno, we rolled out of the start a little after 8:00 a.m. and proceeded out at a cruising pace, chatting and joking as we went along. I'm not sure if it was the fact that we got started a little later than I did on the first day, but the whole second day to me seemed a lot more casual and low-key. There seemed to be a lot less riders (and I think this is true, a lot of riders that I talked to on Saturday were only doing one day), and there seemed to be less organization and a lot less hoopla surrounding the ride than on Saturday.

C middle, J right, and C's niece M left (collectively, a/k/a "the peloton."
Do not let their smiles fool you. They will drop you in a heartbeat at the first sign of weakness.

That said, that first 35 miles was a great time. Easy, casual and a lot like hanging out on a Friday night with good friends . . . only on bikes. C and J are a couple that K and I have come to know through K's running groups. J and K were running buddies that have morphed over time into friends. This was the first time that I had hung out with C and J on my own, without K along to mediate, so I took the opportunity to conspire to get them to get K more into biking. (My attempts at getting more into running having been met with limited success.) At about mile 35, we stopped for lunch and then parted ways as I headed off solo to do the 75-mile route and (I thought) left them to finish up their 50. I learned later that J was feeling so good that she decided to head out and do the full 75 as well, being one of the last riders to head out onto the 75-mile route, but making it into the finish well before closing time.

There was a little wind on Day Two, which we had been heading into it for most of the ride out and which had been slowly, but steadily, increasing as the day went along. After leaving the group at the mid-way rest station there was about 15 more miles of riding into the wind, but the last third of the ride (except for the devastating last half mile) was all with a tail wind along rolling hills that made that portion into something akin to a carnival coaster. Having cruised the first 35 miles, my legs were pretty fresh, and I made the most of it, spinning myself along at an average of 26-28 miles per hour and passing a ton of other riders, who I am not sure appreciated my late-day enthusiasm and energy.

I had taken Monday off to recover, so knowing that I didn't have to ride and didn't even have to particularly get out of bed at any particular time the next day, I didn't hold anything back. Which was all great and a ton of fun, right up until the turn back directly into the wind for the last half mile to the finish line. Seriously, if the parking lot with my car had not been on the far side of the finish line, I am pretty sure I would have called it a day right there. As it was, when I finally did roll into the finish, there was hardly anybody around (I learned later that the vast majority of the Sunday riders had opted for the shorter courses due to the somewhat higher temps from Day One). And in retrospect, I feel like I probably was a little rude when I barely slowed down to snag my orange MS bandana (Rudder wears it quite well, btw) and biked directly away from the event to my car, so that I could load up the bike, get a shower and head back home.

Stats on end of Day Two. Great event. Will be back!!

A shower and a vanilla shake from McDonalds later and I was feeling a lot more human. But I still played the iPod 80s mix loud and did my best Saturday night Karaoke impression to stay awake on the drive home. That night I slept the righteous sleep of the dead and happily exhausted. (K slept slightly less righteously, as she said my snoring was some of the loudest she had ever heard. Sorry babe.)

In sum, I would definitely do this ride again. It was well supported, lots of great people (riders were all cool; volunteers were fantastic - - - you all rock!!), nice scenery (if you like corn fields and barns, which I do), good weather (which historically is sort of unusual, I guess), a fun little town (watch out for the cold showers at the NIU dorms, though), and a great cause.

Coit Tower

2011-07-03T15:00:00.034-05:00

Coit Tower, San Francisco - Holga 120N Portra 400VC, color conversion via PS CS3

This is another Holga image from the trip K and I took to San Francisco last November. The original of this is a color image. The color image is fine, but the color distracts from what I think are the cool elements of this shot - the textures and patterns of the tower and sky, along with the compositional framing coming from the tower base and the tufts of trees visible to either side.

In color, the shot is okay, but a little flat. In black and white, I think it really comes into its own. Here is one of those situations where the digital darkroom kicks the wet darkroom's ass without even trying that hard. Once scanned, I can take the color image of this shot into Photoshop and not only convert the image to black and white, but do it in a way that allows me to simulate the effect that would have been achieved by taking the shot on black and white film with color filters. For example, in this case, I dropped the reds out of the image before conversion, which gives an effect similar to having shot the image with a red filter - darkens the sky, emphasizing the clouds.

Black and white films provide a feel to the image that can't quite be matched by the effect of a color conversion (black and white film has a very broad tonal range, for example - broader than color film and much broader than you will get with a digital camera). I like shooting black and white directly, but when shooting color its nice to know there is the option of producing the end image as black and white.

Shameless

2011-07-02T08:30:00.003-05:00

Rudder on a walk, Panasonic Lumix GF1, 20mm f1.7

That would be me, for posting pet pictures. But come on! The dog's adorable.

Simplify, simplify, simplify . . .

2011-06-24T06:31:00.023-05:00

Chicago Board of Trade Building (aka "Wayne Tower")
Agfa B-2 Cadet Box Camera, Kodak 120mm Tri-X 400
Developing and lo-res scan by 120processing.com

I picked up an old box camera awhile back on eBay. It cost me less than $20.00, including shipping, and was in great shape, especially for something that is probably better than 70 years old and is basically just a cardboard box wrapped in thin leather. I had seen some really interesting shots in the Box Camera Revolution Flickr group, and wanted another "toy" camera to go along with my Holga.

This is a shot from the first roll I put through the camera. I haven't shot anything else with it yet, because I wanted to see what came back. The image above is just a lo-res scan emailed to me from the service that I send out for developing (the negatives will be coming shortly by mail). This is just the straight lo-res scan file. I didn't even correct the horizon tilt, which is probably going to be an ongoing problem with this camera since you frame the shot by looking down through a little offset mirror.

The light leaks are from the film roll not rolling up tight on the uptake spool (known as a "fat roll"), which allows light to get in from the side when taking it out of the camera. I will have to see if I can increase the tension on the spools a little more to try and cure this. It looks like almost all of the shots came out a bit underexposed as well. Other than choosing a higher speed of film, there is not way to adjust exposure values on the camera. It was designed to take pictures outside in bright sunlight on the slower films available at the time. I used 400 speed film, but it was a grey, overcast day, and I took these near sundown as you can see from the streetlights being on.

I am looking forward to getting a look at the actual negatives from this roll. Now that I know that the camera is functioning properly, I can take it out with some more film and do some more experimenting.

Holga Crane

2011-06-22T08:01:00.009-05:00

Holga 120N, Kodak Portra 400VC

I think I am getting the new scanner that I got for Christmas figured out. This is a new scan of a Holga 120mm film shot that I took at my in-laws' awesome backyard last November. Scanned with an Epson v600 and using my new custom film holder from http://www.betterscanning.com.

Chicago Photography Assignments

2011-06-20T20:00:00.000-05:00

I am starting to get back into the regular shooting swing, and I have a couple of "new" cameras to try out, including a neat Holga wide-angle pinhole that I received as a Christmas present and just haven't had the time to really learn how to use yet.

In addition, I find myself getting bored with the same old, same old places and things to shoot. In an attempt to break out of my location rut, I sat down and brainstormed a handful of photography "assignments" for myself. I'm hoping to check these off as the summer goes by, and hoping that by posting them here, I will be more inclined to actually follow through. In no particular order:

Location/Subject Assignments:

Meadow Lake Wind Farm (Northern Indiana) - this is a huge (crosses three counties) wind farm in the northern part of Indiana. K and I first saw this when we drove to Cincinnati earlier this year for K's spring marathon. I took a few crappy pictures from the freeway rest stop, but they were nothing worth posting. Would love to take a half-day to roam around some of the back-road highways to get some more interesting images.
Chicago Botanic Garden (North Chicago) - this is often the turnaround point on my "go to" weekend bicycle ride, but I have never actually gone through the gardens as the bike route basically cuts through the back service access road. Kind of cliche - oooh, pretty flowers (yawn) - but the landscaping of the gardens is actually very cool and this might be a good place to really put my "new" monster medium format camera (a used Mamiya RB67 Pro) though its paces.
Still Life/"Studio" - I want to try out some basic studio lighting techniques, and since the dog is wiggly, the cats uncooperative and K only allows herself to be photographed under duress, I figure I will adopt the time-honored tradition of all budding photographic geniuses: hang a sheet, stick some flowers in pot and snap away. This also provides an excuse to visit a weekend farmer's market for "subjects." Hmmm, still life with cupcakes . . .
Architecture Tour - when K and I first visited Chicago, we took the Official Chicago Architecture Boat Tour. It was October, and really cold, but some of the pictures that I took on the tour I still think of as some of my best Chicago architecture shots, and one hangs in my office and continues to get a ton of compliments. The perspective you get on the buildings is awesome, and you just can't recreate it from the shore.
Night Shoot - I have been scoping out a few locations to try and do another night photography session. I went out recently and took some hand-held night shots at a local carnival, but before that it has been over a year since I specifically shot at night. That time was on the Lakefront for some fairly typical city skyline shots. Now I have a few more interesting subjects in mind (hopefully) and just need to find the time. This is another thing that I used to love to do, but have not done nearly as much of since I switched over to primarily digital. I think that part of it is that I have just not been very happy with the results I'm getting from digital. I want to go back and try again with some film (and my new medium format toys).
Street/PJ - one of my favorite things to do when I first started getting serious taking pictures was just wander around downtown Seattle and shoot the people and events of everyday urban street life. Some of my favorite photographers specialized in street photography, and I still find myself walking around going - that would be a cool shot. The problem is I'm only thinking about shooting and not actually shooting. Why? Well, usually when I'm downtown and out of the office, I'm on my way to court and in a suit. Somehow, while no one looks twice at a 20-something guy in jeans and a t-shirt snapping away with a camera on the street, the same is really not true for a 40ish guy in a suit. Prescription, bring a change of clothes for after work photography or just set some time aside on a weekend to head downtown or to one of the local festivals.

Process Assignments:

Shoot More Film! (especially medium format and 35mm slide for cross-processing) - I've still got a bunch of old, expired film stock, as well as some tasty new 35mm and 120mm rolls that are just languishing away in the bottom of the freezer. Also, I think I found a good source for relatively cheap 120mm processing. Time to start whittling down the supply.
Home Develop My Black & White - cheaper and faster than farming it out. Besides, me and the dog need something to do while K goes running on Saturday mornings.
Open An Etsy Shop To Sell Prints - I have no allusions to ever making a living off of photography, but perhaps if I could just subsidize the habit a little bit my credit card bills would be a lot less horrifying.

So that's the wish list. Let's see how many I can get checked off before Labor Day.

Science of Chocolate - The Hipster(matic) Edition

2011-06-16T06:01:00.002-05:00

This was a really fun event that K and I went to put on by the Illinois Science Council. One of the development scientists from the Blommer Chocolate factory here in Chicago (I bike by this on my commute almost every day) gave a presentation on The Science of Chocolate.

It was great, even though it felt a little like high school chem lab all over again. We got to do a few "experiments" and even a chance to make our own chocolate (moral, best leave the chocolate making to the professionals). And, of course we got to eat a lot of chocolate. This really made me want to take the factory tour. Lots of nerdy enjoyment (and a location that also provided for beer), what's not to like?

Science of Chocolate - IL Science Council Event

2011-06-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

It's science! Tasty, tasty science.

Some Hipstamatic shots from the event to come soon.

Polaroid Digital Conversions And Thoughts On Digital Editing

2011-06-12T11:20:00.003-05:00

One of the things that I love about film is that by picking the right type of film, camera and processing you can get results "right out of the camera" that would take a lot of work to recreate in Photoshop. However, this feature of film gets a little fetishized on a lot of the analog photo blogs that I follow. For some, "straight scans" are the holy grail, including some where only unadjusted scans of wet-printed photographs are legit, and everything else is somehow "cheating."

My view is a lot more flexible. Even my "straight" scans usually include adjustments for color, contrast and some sharpening to adjust for the the loss of sharpness you get when you scan any image. I also like playing with my images, sometimes engaging in some heavy (perhaps even heavy-handed) digital processing. Really nothing I do isn't something that someone highly proficient in a wet darkroom couldn't reproduce, but since I have no desire to become a wet-darkroom guru (and certainly no time), I'll stick with my digital toys.

Below are a couple examples of some heavy-editing experiments that I did awhile back, using scans of some paper Polaroid 100 packfilm shots, which I had scanned with my regular flatbed scanner. K hates them, but I like the effect. I wouldn't want to use the effect on every photo I took, but I think it works for these.

See the full gallery on Posterous

The Zipper

2011-06-03T23:00:00.002-05:00

The Zipper: Memorial Day Neighborhood Carnival (Canon 40d, 17-40mm f4.0, handheld)

This was my favorite Carnival ride when I was a kid. It's just such a gloriously evil, nausea-inducing blast.

The Life Cycle Of A Photographer

2011-04-11T18:30:00.005-05:00

This is pretty great. I am somewhere past "The HDR hole," but I keep falling back into the "Dammit, I suck" valley.

Cool Bicycle-Related Animation

2011-03-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

The Cyclotrope from tim Wheatley on Vimeo.

Obviously, this space has been very quiet in the past few months. Work has been crazy, I've been doing very little photography-wise and I've only recently gotten back to bicycling to work regularly after the bout of deep-winter snowstorms. (Aside: "thundersnow" is some crazy s%#t!) Saw this though, and had to pass it along. Really fun and impressive.

Hope to get back to the blog soon, but I make no promises. Mostly what I've been wanting to do lately is just curl up with a good book or play with the dog. I love Chicago, but the winters out here can get pretty tedious. We are up into the 60s today, though, so hopefully real Spring is right around the corner.

More Holga

2011-01-06T22:00:00.001-06:00

Here are a few photos of the Chicago skyline and waterfront. These are also from the first roll that I shot with the camera. I think I'm hooked!

Scenes From the Commute

2011-01-05T20:00:00.000-06:00

Chicago Loop Parking Garage

My Continuing Descent Into Hipsterdom

2010-12-31T17:00:00.016-06:00

You still won't find me sporting a pair of skinny jeans (you're welcome), but my hipster cred continues to accumulate. A couple of months ago I became the somewhat sheepish owner of a Holga 120N medium-format camera. For those who don't know, the Holga is a "toy" camera - a cheaply-made, all plastic Chinese camera that shoots 120mm film. The camera is prone to light leaks, accidental double-exposures and heavy vignetting, but is very popular with art photographers and people looking to get into medium format film photography on the cheap (and, of course, hipsters, although Polaroid still takes pride of place on that score).

I've shot about ten rolls of film with the camera so far and just recently got the first set of developed negatives back from the photo lab. Below is a shot from the first roll that I put through the camera:

Ira in his usual afternoon napping spot (Holga 120N, Kodak Tri-X 400)

Okay, so yes, it's a pet shot - that's our oldest cat, Ira (named after NPR radio host Ira Glass, of This American Life; yes we are that big of geeks) - but I think it came our pretty great, especially considering it was the first time I used the camera.

I will be posting more shots from this camera soon. I really could fall in love with medium format. Those big, frick'n negatives are pretty damn sweet.

No Need To Dream . . .

2010-12-25T09:00:00.003-06:00

Fresh-Fallen Snow, Christmas Morning 2010, Chicago (Canon 40D, 17-40mm f/4, color converted)

Merry Christmas From Chicago

2010-12-24T20:00:00.001-06:00

The weather outside is indeed frightful, but it is cozy and warm inside . . .

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas (Canon 40D, 17-40mm f/4)

It Would Be Much Easier To Get Out Of Bed . . .

2010-12-22T06:30:00.007-06:00

If it was not literally freezing outside, and there was a Top Pot doughnut shop to stop off at before work.

Top Pot Doughnut Shop, another reason to miss Seattle

Film is slow . . .

2010-12-18T19:00:00.002-06:00

. . . but I am slower. I am just now, finally getting around to dealing with the analog images that I've been taking over the last few months. I think that I really need to teach myself to develop my own color and black & white film rolls, at least the new 120mm stuff that I have been doing. There is no really convenient place to get 120mm film developed - the few stores that develop on-site have store hours that simply don't work with my work schedule - and the delay on getting 120 rolls back from the shops that will send it out means that by the time the film gets back, much of the excitement of the moment that I clicked the shutter has dissipated. (Plus, 120mm film processing is freaking expensive.)

Anyway, here are a few 35mm images from the Labor Day "destination shoot." This is a concrete factory, I believe. I had been thinking about photographing this place for awhile. The lines of the elevators are nicely dramatic, and it sits right next to a bridge that provides a good vantage point from which to take images.

All of these are shot on cross-processed Provia 100f slide film, with my Canon Elan 7ne 35mm film camera. I think the cross-processing really works well for these industrial shots. My understanding is that the Provia generally gets the type of green color shift seen above. Other slide films will give more true colors or different color casts. I'm eager to do some further experimentation.

Some Days, I Really Miss Seattle . . .

2010-12-18T09:00:00.002-06:00

Lake Union, from Freemont/Ballard

Pike Place Market (cliche, but iconic)

Seattle Center (Christmas, Seattle Style)

Snow Dog!!

2010-12-04T09:00:00.004-06:00

First snow of the season. Couple of inches so far and still snowing . . .

Rudder wasn't quite sure what to make of the snow, but he seemed to get into it as the walk went along. Right now he is much more into laying on his dog bed in my office and being wrapped up in a blanket. (Smart dog.)

Run (and Walk) For Their Lives

2010-09-26T18:30:00.005-05:00

PAWS is the local no-kill rescue shelter, and where we met Rudder (aka, the best dog ever!). PAWS was throwing a fundraiser today - a 4K walk/8K run. K and I headed over this morning with Rudder to do our part. K did the 8K run, and Rudder and I did the 4K walk.

It was windy and more than a bit chilly on the Lakefront, but the event was a lot of fun and there were a ton of great dogs and dog owners there to support PAWS and animal rescue efforts.

Rudder met a bunch of new friends . . .

And everybody had a great time.

All in all a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning.

Happy Accidents

2010-09-19T18:30:00.005-05:00

Still have a bunch of photographs to process and post from my Labor Day weekend photo expeditions, but work has been crazy busy and I haven't had a lot of time to play with pictures or wax poetic about bikes. I like having a little corner of the web to post my pictures and random writing, but I doubt I will ever be one of those really consistent bloggers who post daily (or even consistently weekly). The blog, along with the photography, writing and even the non-commuting biking, are hobbies that necessarily get set aside when more pressing obligations intrude.

The wait for the remaining black and white and slide film continues as well. Not having to wait for processing is perhaps one of the biggest advantages digital has over film. Perhaps even a bigger advantage than cost - which nods to digital after the initial cost of the camera.

Here is a little something in the meantime, however. The shot above is an old shot, newly discovered. I found a roll of old, exposed negative film that had not been processed. The roll dates from mid-2003, and are mostly snapshots of K and I coming to the Midwest. I had completely forgotten the roll and finding it and discovering the images it held was a fun little mystery.

I have no idea where this was taken or even if the blurriness of the shot was intentional or simply a messed-up attempt at a skyline sunset. I knew enough about photography in 2003 to either brace the camera or use a tripod for a low light shot like this if I wanted it to be in focus, so it may have been deliberately shot to be blurry. Either, way I love the colors and the shot itself has an almost impressionistic feel to it.

I have also trying to shoot some abstracts recently as well (and not having much success), so that may have influenced my being drawn to this shot.

Hope you like it.

Just Pretty Pictures

2010-09-12T15:30:00.003-05:00

Sunrise and sunset pictures must be one of the most over-done subjects in all of photography. Still, something about rolling yourself out of bed when its still dark, filling up a thermos full of coffee and then hiking your butt out to some remote spot to wait for just the right combination of clouds and light is very satisfying.

(Chicago Lakefront, September 2010, Elan 7ne, expired Fuji Superia 100)

These shots are from the jetty/retaining wall at the North Avenue beach on Chicago's lakefront. There was one other photographer out there at the same time, but he was pointing his camera in a different direction, toward the cityscape to the right of these shots (a project for another day) and took off just as the light really started to get good.

(Chicago Lakefront, September 2010, Elan 7ne, expired Fuji Superia 100)

All three of these shots were taken within 10 to 15 minutes of each other. It is really amazing how much the light quality can change in such a short period.

(Chicago Lakefront, September 2010, Elan 7ne, expired Fuji Superia 100)

These were taken with some crappy, expired color negative film. I am still waiting for the slides that I took just before these to be developed. So more (hopefully) pretty pictures to come, with a slightly different angle and perhaps even better clarity and color.

Another Peek

2010-09-10T19:30:00.006-05:00

"Ascending" (September 2010, Elan 7ne, cross-processed Provia 100f)

I never really did a lot of cross processing even when I was shooting film exclusively. But I've bought a bunch of expired slide film and am really liking the scans that I am getting. More to come soon.

"Destination" Photography

2010-09-07T19:30:00.007-05:00

K and I stayed at home over the Labor Day holiday, and I took the opportunity of the extended lazy weekend to cross of few items on the "Honey-Do" list - and - to go on a couple of "expedition" photo shoots. Now, of course, this was not the equivalent of an extended photographic vacation to Venice or a photo-safari in the Congo, but I did get to do some aimless wandering in Chicago's Northwest suburbs and actually voluntarily got up before the sunrise to take some photos of a couple of city locations that have been on my short list of locations to explore with a camera. One shoot was an exercise in deliberate surprise, one a specific self-assigned project.

"At Play"
(Chicago Lakefront, September 2010, Polaroid Land 250, expired 669)

None of it, however, was shot digital. As the recent spate of posts can attest, my photographic funk has definitely broken. For better or worse, however, almost all my recent photography has been shot analog. This is fine by me - although K did recently say that I needed to shoot some "real" photos - but the analog world definitely does not have the turnaround time that blesses digital.

To Come: The Wilds of Suburbia,

The result of these "destination" shoots was a couple dozen Polaroids and a large batch 35mm roll film that is now winding its way through one of the local pro photo labs. I had a couple of straight color negative rolls that I would usually take to the nearest Walgreens where I just get the roll developed and take home the uncut strip to scan (no prints = fast and cheap), but I also had several rolls of slide film that I wanted cross processed, a roll of straight slide film and another bunch of black and white rolls, so I tossed the whole batch together and took it to someone who (hopefully) knows more about developing film than "insert cartridge into slot and push red button."

The Clarity Of First Light,

The color and cross process negatives should be ready later this week, but the rest will take probably another week at least. Even this lab, which did not bat an eye at my cross-processing requests, does not do its own black and white or slide developing.

And A Subject Worthy Of The Weekend

So expect to see posts of Labor Day Weekend photos trickle in as they become available over the next couple of weeks. Not only does analog just take a little longer, but I am afraid I was a bit giddy with the shutter this last weekend and there is a lot of frames to go through with, hopefully, a proportionate share of keepers.

Consolidation

2010-09-05T18:30:00.026-05:00

I had thought that having a second blog devoted to bicycling-related posts was a good idea (and I had a good name for it, the Random Randonneur). The idea was to have Midwest Migrant be the general purpose blog, with a heavy photography influence, and with Random Randonneur to be a more focused enterprise. But two blogs turns out to have been at least one blog too many.

Between the acquisition of a new dog and a work schedule that was much busier than expected, there has been a lot less time to ride and, thus, a lot less riding to blog about. I continue to commute to work daily by bicycle, but have not been able to go on most of the "epic" rides that I had anticipated taking on this summer. As the weather (finally) begins to cool, the riding time will diminish even more.

Given that there is not enough material (or at least inspiration) to provide posts for an entirely separate blog, the obvious choice is just to incorporate my bicycling-related posts here, along with the photography posts, life-as-a-lawyer posts and the rest of my other musings. To that end, I have imported the handful of posts that I had made from the Random Randonneur blog to here, and have deleted the other blog from my Blogger profile. (BTW: Kudos to Blogger on this - they really made the import seamless and simple.)

So, going forward expect to see bike-geek posts sharing space with the photography and the rest. Among these bike-related posts will be a follow-up on my impressions of my Handsome Devil bicycle now that I have had a couple months of almost daily riding to really get a feel for it, some more write-ups on my favorite Chicagoland rides and other posts about utility bike advocacy, bike "culture," bike-related photography and whatever else springs to mind.

This is going to make the blog a true mishmash of topics, but I guess that will be a true reflection of my own odd stew of interests and amusements. No focus, but lots of targets.

Keep the rubber down.

Scenes From The Commute

2010-09-03T23:30:00.001-05:00

Damen Street Bridge (August 2010, Elan 7ne, expired Fuji Superia 100)

Early Adopter

2010-09-03T22:30:00.006-05:00

I've been doing some experimentation with Impossible Project's new "Silver Shade" PX 100 instant film for the SX-70 Polaroid camera. I am a cheerleader and supporter of the Project, as they are doing the crazy, journeyman's work of restoring a source of instant film for the classic Polaroid cameras that continue to have a huge fan base, but which Polaroid stupidly abandoned a few years ago. I am a supporter of the Project and its goals with high hopes for the future. And I have to be hopeful, unfortunately, because the present leaves a little bit to be desired.

"Gotham"
(September 2010, SX-70, Impossible Project PX 100 film)

I will write more about this later, but will just say for now that the Project really is a labor of love . . . and the the use of these early films requires quite a bit of love, patience (and forgiveness) from the photographer as well.

The Case For Grain

2010-09-01T18:30:00.004-05:00

"Tethered"
(Navy Pier, Chicago, August 2010, Elan 7ne, expired Fuji Superia 100)

This recent shot made me remember one of the aspects of film shooting that I really love, that is part and parcel with the film experience, and that (like so much that was once considered a drawback of film) is now experiencing a resurgence of popularity: grainy film.

"Waiting"
(Harstine Island, Washington State, Fall 2003, Elan 7ne, Fuji Provia 100)

I am old enough to remember the consuming quest for film stock that would produce "grainless" images - when landscape photographers waxed eloquently about the smoothness and lack of grain in Velvia 50 and the ongoing technical talks about how to expose/process/develop so that your final images showed as little grain as possible. Yes, some people even then used grain artistically, but for the the majority of shooters grain was bad.

"Morie"
(Seattle, Washington, Fall 2002?, Canonet QL-17 GIII, Fuji Super HQ 200)

Now, when consumer-level digital SLRs and noise-reduction software can easily achieve near-pristine smooth images that could only be dreamed about in the days of film (and even from images shot at high ISOs where grain was just a given), grain is no longer the big bogeyman of the film shooter, but often rather a courted "feature" of the images. Film shooters have reversed all the technical wisdom developed to reduce the look of grain. We shoot expired film, underexpose and cross and push process to our hearts content, just so we can get that "chunky" look.

"Dusk"
(Seattle, Washington, Fall 2002?, Canonet QL-17 GIII, Fuji Super HQ 200)

I like grain, and have always had a thing for dark, brooding and grainy images. When I want clean, crisp shots I reach for my 40D without a second thought. Many post-processing programs now have options for simulating grain in digital shots, and there are techniques for layering blank frames of certain types of film onto a digital image to get an even more realistically grainy effect. But simulating the grainy effect well is difficult.

"Contours"
(March 2007, Bloomington, Indiana, Canon 10D, color conversion and simulated grain)

And while digital noise can sometime create a pleasing effect, the mood is a lot more harsh and uncomfortable (sharp and rough) than the rounder, softer effect from film grain.

"Six String Samurai"
(Chicago Loop, January 2008, Canon 10D, color conversion, amped up sharpening and contrast)

How much easier to just pop in that roll of expired drug store film or some nice chunky and contrasty Tri-X and see what develops.

"Woods In Snow"
(February 2007, Bloomington, Indiana, Elan 7ne, Fuji Provia 100)

Ride Report: North Branch Trail

2010-08-31T19:30:00.000-05:00

When I first moved to Chicago and started biking again regularly, my go-to long ride was an up-and-back on the Lakefront Path. That is still a great ride (about 35-40 miles door to door, round trip), but the northern section of the Lakefront Path is overly crowded during the summer, even at early morning hours.

These days, when I don't want to think about where I'm going to ride, my go-to Saturday ride is Chicago's North Branch Trail. A little less than 20 miles of paved trail through the wooded Cook County Forest Preserve, the trail loosely follows the North Branch of the Chicago River, winding its way north from N. Milwaukee and W. Devon Avenues, along the river and then meandering through the Skokie Lagoons until it reaches the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

In the Spring and Summer, the Trail is shaded and grants some relief from the heat, although the humidity can be just as bad or worse because of the river and lagoons. It is a relatively wide, flat trial, with minimal street crossings and two overpass bridges (no dismount needed). It is not a trail on which you can (or at least should) get up to racing speed, but is relatively fast given the well-paved surface and relatively low traffic level on weekend mornings. You share the trail with other cyclists (mostly recreational bikers on hybrids, with the hard-core trainers sticking to the faster and less crowded streets), walkers and joggers (there seems to be an group stroll on Saturday mornings at about mid-trail for "older" Asian ladies and gentleman) and the occasional stroller and dog. There is also a gravel horse path that parallels the trail, but I have seen very few horses in the numerous times I have ridden the trail.

Once you get to the top of the trail, you can access the Chicago Botanical Gardens by bicycle, but just the back/service roads, with almost all of the actual gardens being off limits for bike riders. For a shorter, up-and-back morning ride, the Botanical Garden makes a good turnaround stop, with a nice bathroom/rest area with some vending machines, bike racks (although the racks are not well designed to work with U-Locks) and shaded benches on which to sit a spell and savor that Powerbar or energy gel at your leisure. For longer rides, the Botanical Gardens makes a good jumping off point as well, with the Skokie Valley bike path and the Green Bay Trail/Robert McClory Bike Path only a few blocks to either side of the Garden's North entrance.

Up and back will give me 44 to 46 miles, depending on the exact path through the Skokie Lagoons taken. This always seems a little short to me. If I have time, I will jump up to the Skokie Valley Bike Path and then come back via the Green Bay Trail to the North Shore Channel Trail, which includes a sculpture garden. This will bring in the ride at somewhere in the 65-70 mile range, and to my mind is just about the perfect length for a weekend ride. But for those mornings when I did not get out the door early enough, an up and back to the Botanical Gardens is a good fit.

The only drawbacks to the North Branch Trail are typical for in-city trails in general. The quickest route to the Milwaukee/Devon trailhead where I generally start is by Elston Avenue, which merges into Milwaukee a few blocks before the parking area for the trail on Devon Street. Elston has a good, wide bike lane and is a fast street, especially if you can catch the right rhythm for the stop lights, but it is not what I would call aesthetically pleasing for the most part and can be traffic-heavy at times. The other drawback is as I mentioned above - the North Branch is really a recreational trail, not a route for intensive training (if you are in to that sort of thing). It's a little too crowded, too twisty (although that can be fun) and too narrow for riding much above 18mph, except in short bursts. But since I rarely ride faster than that other than for short bursts, this is fine by me.

The best part of the North Branch Trail is how isolated parts of it can seem from the city. You can really feel like you are riding through the wilderness in sections - especially if you are lucky enough to catch a family of deer in the early morning mist or get a glance of a river turtle sunning itself on a muddy bank.

Sunday Ride Stats (August 29, 2010):
North Branch Trail via Elston/Milwaukee (up-and-back)
Bike / Load: Trek 2.3 / high tail w/camera
Total Miles: 44.5
Ride Time: 2 hours, 42 minutes
Average Speed: 16.5 mph

Scenes From the Commute

2010-08-27T07:30:00.002-05:00

Lakeshore Drive (expired Fuji Superia 100, Elan 7Ne)

Flying

2010-08-21T11:00:00.001-05:00

More Lo-Fi Fun: Lomo LC-A

2010-08-21T07:30:00.106-05:00

Rose Hill Cemetery, Easter 2010 (expired Fuji 100 Superia, Lomo LC-A)

The pre-cursor to the current lo-fi/toy camera fascination was the rise of Lomography. A (very deliberately and very skillfully created) little cult of enthusiasm built up around a cheap, plastic-lens, russian knock-off camera, the Lomo LC-A. The LC-A first came out in the 1980s, but the "lomography" marketing juggernaught really didn't take until the 1990s. The LC-A is a cheaply made camera - a plastic lens, which tends to create strong vingetting and softness or blurring; and a body that is prone to light leaks and unintentional double-exposures due to poor film winding. LIke the later-hip Holga, however, the characteristics of the LC-A that would normally be considered drawbacks have become to be thought of as its strengths.

Lakeshore Path, June 2010 (expired Fuji Superia, Lomo LC-A)

The lens tends to create soft, saturated images, with strong vignettes and interesting tonal shifts in the way colors render.

Lake CTA Station, August 2010 (expired Fuji 100 Superia, Lomo LC-A)

The LC-A can actually be most interesting in low light photography. The camera keeps the shutter open long enough to get a sufficient exposure. This can result in some interesting blur effects. This shot really doesn't show it, and I haven't had much luck with that style, but I have seen people produce some very cool night and low light shots with this camera.

Daley Center Fountain, August 2010 (expired Fuji Superia, Lomo LC-A)

Because the LC-A is small, its easy to carry around pretty much everywhere. I often toss it into the camera bag with whatever main camera I'm taking. I can't say that I'm ready to buy into the "don't think, just shoot" mentality put forth by the lomo cultists, but it's nice to have options, and the LC-A is a fun addition to any lo-fi camera collection.

Ghost In The Machine

2010-08-19T07:30:00.004-05:00

These were taken back in late April or early May of this year. (Notice the trees are just beginning to bud out.) This was the first pack of the ill-stored and expired 669 which I took out to experiment. Blue cast is very strong and other colors are muted. The odd developing streaks that you see on the left or top of the photos was on all of them. When I changed to a new pack I cleaned the camera's rollers and that seemed to help, but it may have just been a quirk of that film pack. The streaks actually work, I think, for some of these shots, giving them an ethereal, ghostly feel.

Boats In Morning Sun

2010-08-17T07:30:00.017-05:00

More Polaroids. These are a couple of the better ones from the same outing from the last two postings. The one on top is my favorite and seems the most like the types of shots I used be able to expect from this film in the past. Because the film is old, the colors tend to be extremely washed out. This was taken in strong morning sun and the colors on the boats are actually much brighter and distinct in real life. I like the effect achieved here, though.

No Diving

2010-08-15T07:30:00.005-05:00

Blatantly ripped off idea from Dottie @ LGRAB and Dream Camera (Polaroid Land 250,expired Polaroid 669)

Variation on the theme above, pumped up the colors a little in photoshop to try and compensate for the washed out nature of the expired film (Polaroid Land 250, expired Polaroid 669)

Everything Old . . .

2010-08-14T18:00:00.059-05:00

. . . is fodder for some hipster to decide its ironic and cool. Case in point, "lo-fi" photography - film cameras, toy cameras, Polaroids, vintage cameras and all manner of unreliable, unpredictable and lower-quality image making devices. Oh, and did I mention that now that digital is the ubiquitous choice of the masses, that these non-digital options are also more expensive than their shiny new brethren? But hey, just because the hipsters like it doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't actually cool. And some of this stuff is definitely cool.

Even in the age of instantly viewing your shot on your camera's digital screen (don't deny it, everybody chimps), there is just something inherently fascinating about watching the picture slowly come up, or the anticipation of that moment before you peel back the developing layer to see what the camera made out of the image you framed in the viewfinder 60 second before. Call it the triumph of chemicals over pixels.

I caught the Polaroid bug very late. I picked up an old Land 250 just in time for Polaroid to announce it would be discontinuing the manufacture of all compatible films (and then only a bit later picked up an SX-70 with similar results). But I instantly fell in love with the camera. It was a sort of "where have you been all my life" moment. I still love, and predominantly shoot, digital, but also love to bust out one of my Polaroids now and then to change things up. An expedition with a Polaroid is a much different affair than with digital, or even regular 35mm film. Where I might take 100 shots (or much more) on a day outing with my 40D, a prolific day out with the Polaroid will involve pressing the shutter 10 to 20 times, at most. Setting aside the cost of the film, the process itself is just much more involved, and you are forced to slow down, pre-visualize your shots and be more selective about when and what to shoot. Add in the fact of expired film that isn't working quite as well or in the same manner as fresh film would, and it the day becomes an act of experimentation.

I have a box of unused Polaroid films that I have been sitting on. This includes some color and black and white film for my Land 250 (authentic 669 and 667), some Spectra/600 packs, and a couple of very rare packs of the last Polaroid SX-70 blend film. I also have some packs of the newer Polaroid films produced by the Impossible Project (http://www.the-impossible-project.com/), which is the only place that I know of that you can get new film for that SX-70 you might have hanging around in a drawer somewhere.

The film isn't getting any fresher sitting in the box, so I have been making a point of shooting more Polaroids lately. The 669 color film seems to have faired the worst, but you do get some interesting effects. I'll be posting more (and better) results from my renewed experiments with these films soon.

The Slowest Drawbridge In The World

2010-08-10T23:00:00.001-05:00

"The Even Longer Way Home" - Chicago River Bridge, Lakeshore Drive

Or it least it seemed that way at we all sat there waiting in 90 degree heat while being feasted on by a veritable horde of mosquitos. I've never been caught by this bridge before, and wasn't really sure why it had been drawn up in the first place. As far as I could seen none of the boats coming in or out were tall enough to worry about.
Getting past the accumulated pack of walkers once it went up was an additional treat.

Apparently, I Am A Pawn Of A UN Conspiracy

2010-08-04T18:30:00.001-05:00

TMP: Bike Love Is A U.N. Plot
In which I am thoroughly depressed as to how what was once the lunatic-fringe right has somehow moved solidly into the party mainstream. How do these people manage to dress themselves in the morning? I mean, seriously. W.T.F.?

What A Handsome Devil . . . Initial Ride Report

2010-06-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

So I took my new custom-build Handsome Devil out for its first real ride today - commuting back and forth from work on the Lakefront Path. Weather could not have been better for the maiden voyage, clear and cool with only a little wind on the way home.

Earlier rides on this have only been of the 'round-the-block type to make sure whatever I had just bolted on actually worked and did not spontaneously fall off. I guess I am the trusting sort because I realized after I left for work in the morning that in my excitement to get on the bike, I had neglected to bring along a flat kit. My other two bikes have seat bag kits that I just leave on the bikes even when parked outside. I have never had a seat bag stolen and it is nice never to have to think about bringing tools, patches or an extra tube because all those things are already there. Thankfully there were no problems and no need for adjustments that needed tools to accomplish.

First things first - let me get my abject apology for every disparaging and skeptical remark I have ever made about Brooks saddles out of the way now. The B-17 Flyer saddle is hands down the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden. And this is right out of the box with no break-in or adjustment period. The only complaint I have is that the leather is slicker than I am used to, but I'm sure that will adjust with time. Consider me a convert.

However, my new-found Brooks love is not extending to the handlebar grips. The ride on this new bike is pretty plush overall, with the handlebar grips being the exception. The leather does provide a secure hand-hold, but I feel like I need to wear gloves to provide some cushion, which I prefer not to do for rides under 10 miles. Even with the short commute ride, I really felt the road vibration and my hands felt a bit bruised at the end of the day. To be fair, my unfamiliarity with the hand position provided by the Velo-Orange Milan bar may be part of the blame, but right now the grips may be the target for an early replacement with something a little more ergonomic if less stylish.

I am also not entirely sure about the Portland Design Works Payload rack. It is a beautiful rack - perhaps too good looking to feel entirely comfortable when locking the bike up outside - but does not seem to be playing well with my Arkel Metropolitan bag. I have been using this bag on the K2, which has a Topeak Supertourist rack, and have had no problems with heel clearance, but the Metropolitan does not seem to want to sit secure on the Payload and it creeps forward. I am experimenting with the hook position and will see if that corrects the problem. Given that I will also need to buy an adapter for the Payload for the dynamo taillight that I still need to install, we may need to reevaluate my decision to go with the Payload versus a Tubus Cargo.

What I am really digging is the ride position afforded by the frame and Milan bars. I am more upright than with my flat-bar K2, but still feel like I can comfortably crouch forward to reduce my exposure when riding into a headwind. The ride position feels so proper and gentlemanly! I am also glad that I went with the slightly larger frame (55cm). It does not provide much stand-over clearance for my 30-inch inseam, but the reach on the top tube is pretty much dead on. This would be a very comfortable ride for extended trips - as long as I can work out the grip situation, that is. If I were ever to switch the Milan bar out for drop bars, though, I might find myself a little too stretched.

The ride quality overall is very nice. Solid, but smooth. I am a skeptic about the whole "steel is real" attitude, since most people who say steel provides a smoother ride are not comparing apples to apples - that is comparing frames with the same geometry or that are outfitted with the same components. (It is much more likely that things like a longer wheel base, wider tires, lower tire pressure, handlebar height and other differences in frame geometry account for differences in ride quality rather than the choice of metal used for the frame.) But whether it is the steel frame or the 32mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires run low of maximum pressure, my little Devil rides like a dream. I still need to get used to the more upright position and the handling differences that come with the swept-back handlebars, but the bike fees super solid and very comfortable on the road. It is a fun ride.

Last, but not least, let's talk about the Shimano 8-spd internal-geared hub. I love the convenience and aesthetic of an IGH, but it definitely does provide a different feel that will take some getting use to. When pushing off from a dead start, there seems to be a moment or two of lag in the hub connection - I press down on the pedal and it feels like I am freewheeling for a split-second before the hub is completely engaged. Once I get going it feels fine, although never has that super-solid mechanical connection feel that you get with an externally-geared bike (and which I am told is even more present with a direct fixed-gear setup.) I am not sure exactly to describe the feeling that I am talking about, but it has the sense - even when pedaling full out - that the cranks and the rear cogs/wheel are not directly connected to each other. There is some sense of loss of energy transfer that I do not get on my external-gear bikes.

I have ridden my wife's internally geared 3-spd before and I remember it having the same sort of feel, so I think this is just inherent to the system and not a malfunction. And once I was spun up, I was getting pretty much the same speeds out of the Devil that I would get on my K2 in similar situations and with essentially the same level of effort, so the apparent loss of of energy between the cranks and the hub is probably just in my head. Still, it is going to take some getting used to the different feel.

All in all I am very pleased. There are a couple of things to watch and maybe some minor refinements to make (but when is there not). Also need to get a saddle bag for a flat kit. Will need something stylish to go with the bike, but not something so flashy that I worry about it getting stolen when locked up in public. (Ah, the second-best thing about owning a bike after riding it - buying accessories to go with it!)

My First Custom (Part II)

2010-05-20T19:30:00.000-05:00

So close, but not quite yet . . .

(Oh, come on dad! When can I go out and play with the neighborhood bikes?)

So maybe I'm just a little slow, but building up my first bike from scratch has really enlightened me as how many little parts there are on a bicycle that you (or at least I) completely ignore. Ferrules, cable stops and shift-lever covers, for example. And it was only when I actually went to install the brakes that I realized that a traditional front cantilever requires a cable hanger (which I had not purchased). Then - and this is really evidence that I might not be the brightest tool in the box - I go ahead and order two different hangers, because I can't decide on a style, and they are both the wrong size and too small to fit my stem. D'oh!! After unsuccessfully trying to locate an in-stock 1 1/8ths hanger from my local bike shops, I now have another couple of hangers on order - two different styles again and both, hopefully, the correct size this time.

(Ready to roll, except for front brakes . . . and fenders, lights and a rack. But mostly brakes. Dig those custom wheels!!)

(Apparently, you can now count me as a member of the cult of Brooks. Does this make me a hipster? Do I have to grow an ironic beard and start wearing skinny jeans?)

(Rack by Portland Design Works. They really make some great looking accessories.)

I am very proud of myself for getting the shifter set up and adjusted correctly. There is probably a trick to easily attaching and detaching the shift cable to and from the hub, and I probably just need to practice taking the wheel off and putting it back on several times, but it seems a lot more involved than getting the wheel on and off on the standard external gear setups that I am used to. Having to remove this wheel in the rain on the side of the road to fix a flat does not sound fun at all (not that fixing a flat is ever fun). Glad I did not skimp on the tires as I think it is going to be awhile before I feel comfortable with this setup.

My First Custom (Part I)

2010-05-14T19:30:00.000-05:00

I've owned eight bicycles in my life so far: the first two were hand-me-downs, the third was the greatest Christmas gift of all time, the fourth was the only mountain bike that I have ever owned, the fifth was a great tourer that I wish I never sold, the sixth was my first "serious" bike and the first (and hopefully only) bike that I ever got stolen, the seventh is my current every-day commuter and the eighth is the fastest little rocket that I have ever ridden. All pretty different, but equally great, bikes in their own way. All bought pretty much off the shelf.

Which, of course, brings us to number nine.

Number nine is going to be my first custom build - all components carefully chosen and then brought together by my own fumbling hands. For a long time, this bike has just been an idea, but the idea is actually getting pretty close to being a reality.

I wanted a touring/cyclocross-style bike that allowed running wider tires, including winter studs, with fenders, but that stayed with 700cc wheels rather than the smaller mountain bike wheels. I looked at the Long Haul Trucker and Cross-Check from Surly, but ended up going with the Devil frame from Handsome Cycles.

Here is the frame without the fork. I had my local awesome bike shop (Roscoe Village Bikes) install the crank for my Alfine hub drivetrain since I don't have the tools to chase and face the bottom bracket. The Devil frame really is quite handsome - great lines with a very nice powdercoat paint job. The frame also comes in a mixte, the She Devil.

I started buying parts for this bike at the beginning of last winter, including having a set of wheels built with an Alfine 8spd hub and a Shimano generator hub for the front. Alex Tweedie, who owns and operates RVB along with his wife Lesley, had previously built up a rear wheel for my current commuter after having lost the valiant fight to keep my crappy stock wheel true. That was my first hand-built, custom wheel and I am completely hooked. That wheel has stayed true and ran smooth through the worst I have thrown at it. So it was a no-brainer to have Alex build up the wheels for my new ride. The new gorgeous wheels have been sitting in my home office along with a growing box of parts. I sort of worked backward, with the frame being bought after a lot of the other major parts were purchased.

I have never tried to build up a bike before, and my experience with actual bicycle maintenance has been limited to changing tires, fixing flats and installing and swapping out accessories. A bicycle isn't that complicated of a machine, but if you have never put one together from scratch before it is a little intimidating. Also, the bike repair/maintenance books out there seem to assume a certain base level of knowledge - they probably make great reference books for mechanics or people who already have a general idea of a bike's mechanisms, but are a little bewildering for a complete newbie like me.

Luckily, Google is our friend. A little web surfing came up with a bunch of great tips and tricks. For example, for cutting the stem you often hear people talking about doing it with a hack saw, which carries all the worries of getting the cut straight and cleaning up the edges when you are done. However, turns out that if you just bop on over to Home Depot and buy yourself a $10 pipe cutter from the plumbing supply section, it works like a charm - straight cut, clean edges. The picture above is the headset stack assembled on the uncut fork stem, and the picture below is after I cut down the stem and slipped on the handlebars, shifter and brake levers.

All of this is taking me far more time that it probably should. And certainly more aggravation that is strictly necessary. (Seating the headset cups to the frame involved copious amounts of banging, foul language and despair, and in the end only came together with the help of one seriously gerry-rigged setup that had no reason to work, but somehow managed to anyway.) But, I'm still enjoying the process, and am learning a lot about my bike's mechanics' that I never knew before. I will probably always be the guy who takes his bikes in to the local shop to get everything tuned up professionally a couple times a year, but I already feel a lot more confident about undertaking maintenance tasks that go beyond the basics.

Next up is wheels, installing the brakes, routing the brake lines and seeing if I can get the shifter mechanism hooked up and adjusted correctly.

Tales of a Random Randonneur

2010-05-12T19:30:00.032-05:00

"random" -- proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason,or pattern

"randonneuring" -- a type of organised long distance bicycle riding, with rides typically covering between 60 to 750 miles. A participant is known as a randonneur, and an event is a randonnée. Randonneuring is not a competitive sport. It is a test of endurance, self-sufficiency and bicycle touring skills. All riders who complete the task are congratulated, and no prizes are given to those with the fastest times

I am going to start posting about bicycles and bike riding. I am a big bicycle geek, but not a racer or even more than a semi-regular participant in club rides and other organized bicycle events. While I don't object to riding with others, all my best rides have been just the bike, the road and me.

My ideal day of bicycling is a long, rambling ride - equal parts effort and exploration; with extended bursts of speed; punctuated by stops to take photographs or sip good, strong coffee at a small cafe; and a large portion of semi-aimless wandering, where I am able to take the next side road just to see what's there. I rarely get to indulge in such rides. The demands of work schedules, domestic obligations and my own deep laziness intrude. Yet I continue to aspire. I am going to begin to use this blog to explore those aspirations and, hopefully, record at least a few instances where the aspiration is realized.

I currently own two and one half bikes (the half being an almost completed work in progress), and have been hooked on bicycles from the very first time I swung a leg over and pushed off when I was eight-years old. I have mostly been a recreation and fitness rider, but in the last couple of years have become a (mostly) daily commuter as well. I have done a handful of organized century rides, with the longest being the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride, and have done countless extended rides allure libre.

My current (constant?) goals are to lose back a chunk of the weight I have gained in recent years and to be better about taking a camera with me (and using it) when I am out on the bike. My new aspiration is to do some multi-day touring and perhaps a little bike-camping.

When I am out on an extended ride, I like to have a general route in mind, but then take any alternative route or side road that might look interesting. I like to get purposefully lost.

I imagine my bicycling posts will be much like my bike trips - long, rambling, without any particular destination or purpose outside the act itself and likely much less frequent than would be the ideal.

Check It Out . . .

2010-03-24T12:01:00.007-05:00

So I have been an on-again off-again participant on this photography contest site - DPChallenge.com (Digital Photography Challenge). I kind of went off on photography for some time, but have been working myself back into it. So, I submitted an entry for a recent challenge with the them of Night Shot and . . . I got 5th place!!

Clouds At The Gate

You don't get anything but bragging rights, but I'm pretty jazzed about it.

Night Work

2009-11-21T17:00:00.008-06:00

Trying to get the hang of night photography with the digital SLR. I had a pretty good handle on it with film, but have not been able to get quite the same cool color mixtures that the old tungsten slide film would provide. Will keep working on it, though. I like the idea of continuing to work with film, but in reality the film boxes gather dust because digital is just so much easier and provides such faster feedback.

Dead Cat Bounce

2009-09-08T18:02:00.006-05:00

The Seventh Circuit has spoken and . . . we lost.

Almost exactly ten months (10 months!!) after my argument, the 7th finally got around to issuing the opinion. I figured that because they had kept it so long, that the news was not going to be favorable, but I continued to hold out hope that we might win at least a partial victory on the sentencing issue. I am a little miffed at the way the court handled one of the issues, basically side-stepping our argument and ruling on a much narrower point of law than, I continue to believe, was at issue, but nothing in the opinion was dramatically unexpected.

For all the worry some people have over criminal convictions being overturned on appeal, the reality is that that the appellate courts rarely reverse the trial court. And - and again, in contrast to the T.V.-inspired idea that most non-attorneys have of the criminal process - cases simply do not get reversed on "a technicality." If you hear that a criminal conviction got reversed, it is a good bet that either the court, the prosecuting attorney, or the police really screwed something up. The law is malleable, which is its strength, but also its weakness. If the judges want to rule in a particular way, there is almost always a credible argument that they can make which will allow them to do it.

So while I am disappointed, I am not surprised by the court's decision. Only good point is that my colleague at The Firm who took over as the attorney of record will have to take care of procedural hassle that is required to close out the representation. That is the ticket - come in, dazzle the audience, and then make your grand exit before you have to slop out the elephant cages.

Dead Weight

2009-08-07T08:30:00.003-05:00

I have been carrying my camera around constantly lately, but I never seem to take any pictures. For going on almost a year now I seem to have lost my desire to photograph almost completely. I am not entirely sure what the problem is, but I think that a good part of it is that I have been in a type of mourning. In the middle of last year I had a hard drive failure. Correction, a hard drive failure with no recent backup. Correction, a hard drive failure with almost a year gap for any backup. Yes, I know . . . trust me, I know. You can't say anything to me that I already haven't said to myself a thousand times already. The hard drive that failed was my main data drive. It contained pretty much every digital piece of my life that exists - undergraduate assignments and research, my law school papers and outlines, letters to friends, scans of documents, word files and bits and pieces of various writings, all of my converted CDs and the newer digital only music . . . oh yes, and all my photography. Up until late 2006 the majority of my photography had been film-based (with a short foray into digital with a Canon G1 several years earlier). I had been scanning film for quite some time, and had gone back and scanned most of my early film photography as well. For the most part, a lot of that was diligently backed up on CDs, and what I did not have backup for on CD was still there, of course, in the slides and filmstrips that I had archived away. In late 2006, though I started shooting mostly digital, which then very quickly morphed into almost exclusively digital. For whatever reason, I was not very good about keeping backups of this and had not kept any backups of anything shot after about mid-year 2007. Why? I'm not sure, but it essentially boils down to a combination of laziness and complacency. I had hard drive failures before, but had gone a long stretch without one. I was a student on a limited budget and backup drives seemed expensive and besides I had a big spindle of blank CDs that I could use to make backups of all the new stuff I was shooting . . . eventually. Regardless, when the hammer fell, it caught me completely unprepared - no cd backups, no hard drive backups, no online backups of anything other than reduced-size, edited files, nothing, nada . . . zilch. And here is the part of the story that really gets to me. In the months leading up to that hard drive failure I felt like I had taken several of the best photographs I had ever taken in my life. I'm not saying they were going to knock Ansel, Mapplethorpe, or DeCarava off the map or anything, but they did represent what I saw as real progress in my photography. I felt like I had been stuck at a certain level for a long time and that in those last couple of months I had taken shots that showed I was starting to move forward again. Those shots, as silly as it might seem, were proof that I was growing artistically. I was damn proud of those shots. And now, they were gone. I had a few on-line, small, edited versions of some of the photos on a few sites, but the originals were all on that now useless hunk of metal sitting in my computer. I was in denial about the fact that these photographs were lost for quite awhile, quite a long while. I obsessively research data recovery services - expensive, unrealistic, unlikely. I tried every esoteric method I came across on the web to get the hard drive to mount long enough to grab even a few of the recent originals - no dice. I would like to say that eventually I gave up. But - and here I think is the secret to understanding my photography funk for the past year - I really didn't give up at all. I bought a new hard drive. I bought a backup hard drive. I upgraded my operating system so that I could run software that would automatically back up my data every night like clockwork. And then . . . I carefully packed away the failed drive in the box that the new drive had arrived in and set it on a shelf in my office closet - someday, I thought. Someday, perhaps I will spend the money just to see if any of those photos are recoverable. Probably not, highly unlikely . . . but perhaps . . . someday. And then I did not take one single photograph for six months. Since the hard drive failure I have probably, in total, pressed a shutter perhaps a hundred times. Perhaps even less. And some of those shutter clicks were to post stuff on eBay! My wife - the woman who I once, for fear that the film would degrade, had to goad into taking out the 36-frame roll of film she had had in her point and shoot for almost three years to be processed, even though, as she argued, there were still several frames left on the roll - has taken more photographs than I have in the same period. Recently, I have been trying to break the funk. I started carrying a camera around with me again. Right after I upgraded my smartphone to the new iPhone I giddily downloaded a slew of iPhone photo apps that looked "just so cool." (In two months I have taken 3, count 'em, 3 photos with the iPhone, by the way.) But the funk just would not break. The camera stayed in the bag. Or worse, it stayed hanging dead around my neck as I rejected one shot after the next, after the next, after the next. Then the other day I came home very frustrated. I had taken the camera out again to specifically take some shots, but I had taken only a few and hated each and every one. As I sat in my office wondering "What the heck!?" I realized that I was thinking of that old, failed hard drive and bemoaning the loss of those "beautiful," "breakthrough" photographs yet again. What the heck, indeed. It was at that point I knew what I had to do. I got up, went to my closet and took out the box with the hard drive. I went downstairs into the shared basement of our apartment and got out a hammer from the landlord's toolbox. A very nice hammer. A very heavy hammer. I went out into the alley behind our building and opened up the box, taking out the hard drive. I put the hard drive down on the ground, thought for a second . . . and then I beat the s--t out of that thing! Anyone wishing to retrieve data from that hard drive at this point will need a time machine. "It's dead, Jim." It was very satisfying. Is the funk over? Not sure yet, but signs are good. Ironically, I guess I missed the chance to document the hard drive abuse and make this story into a little photo essay. But I do find that I am getting that itch to get out trip that shutter again. I feel like getting rid of that hard drive was the equivalent of cutting the cable on an anchor I did not even know was there. Stay tuned.

The New Gig

2009-06-22T18:01:00.005-05:00

So, here I am, back in the land of the gainfully employed. (And very happy to be here, thank you very much.)

I hit the ground running with my new firm on the last week of May -- I was in court on the first day! -- and have been going steady since then. This is definitely a very different experience from my "Big Law" job. My new firm is a small commercial litigation office that also does some probate litigation, a little attorney representation and a dabbling of other types of cases as well. I will be the the sixth attorney and the least experienced associate (which means, lots of routine court calls which now seem very exciting, but will probably lose their luster at some point).

The two partners are both great guys, with the lead partner being a real old-school litigator from whom I think I can learn a lot. Per my entry below, I am excited about the possible opportunities that taking this job opens up, and eager to throw myself back into the practice of law.

First on the list - buy a couple of new suits! Having the one nice suit that hangs behind the door in my office is not going to cut it anymore. Being in court on any particular day appears to be the rule, rather than the exception here. (And I would not have it any other way.) After that - I really need to bone up on the state court rules. Two years at The Firm and I know basically nothing about in-courtroom procedure. (The fact that I am validated in my belief that document review was basically useless for acquiring any practical skills, is cold comfort.)

Big Versus Small (A Shift In Thinking)

2009-05-08T10:01:00.005-05:00

The job search has been pretty dismal in general, but is currently looking up and I hope to be able to report good news soon. As I said in the last post, the layoff may end up being a good thing in the end.

I tend to stay too long at jobs. From background and observation I have an aversion to jumping ship when things get rough, even if it might be the wisest course. One of the good things about being back out on the market has been interviewing with the type of small firms that I did not look at during law school. The law school brings in firms for on-campus interviewing (OCI). As you might expect, these tend to be mid-size and larger firms that do regular, yearly recruiting. I got a ton of interviews through the OCI process, so, at the time, never felt the need to look beyond that resource.

During the OCI interviews, I was never very impressed with the mid-sized firms. They had all the drawbacks of the large firms, without several of the advantages. My experience with the mid-sized firms was projected onto smaller firms in general, leaving me with a poor (and undeserved) impression. However, the recent interviewing that I have done has really opened my eyes and made me rethink things drastically. While the recent layoff is almost certainly coloring my thoughts to some extent, I have been really impressed with what I have seen so far and have been focusing my job search toward firms in the 5-25 attorney range.

At those firms I would be getting into court right away, and perhaps even running my own cases in short order. The big firms provide a lot of support of a certain type, but unless you get lucky and land an assignment on the one plumb project that comes down that year, it can also take a loooooong time to get actual trial experience or even get assignments where you are materially involved in the strategic aspects of a case. The small firm will give you that experience out of the gate, with the added motivational incentive of being put into a position where the possibility of spectacular failure is a very real option. (Of course, there is no chance for spectacular victory without the risk of its opposite.)

I think I know now what would be my ideal setup going forward and long-term, should my career stay in the private sector. I may not get that ideal immediately, but it is nice to have a new frame of reference and a renewed goal in mind.

Funny Thing Happened On The Way To World Domination

2009-04-10T12:01:00.004-05:00

I got laid off.

Come to think of it, that really isn't that funny.

So there is this joke I (used) to tell about how I was surprised when I got called back for an interview with my (now former) firm (henceforth, "The Firm"). I had been so sure that The Firm wouldn't be that interested in me that I had been completely relaxed during my on-campus 20 minute interview - it was a wash out already, I figured, so I just went into it thinking it would be another good practice session, had a very nice and normal conversation with the recruiter, and then didn't think much more about it. The same was true for the call-back interview in The Firm's office in Chicago - no way they were going to hire some old guy with a ton of public interest/government stuff on his resume, so might as well have fun, enjoy the free lunch and hotel room, and not worry too much about it. The "joke" concludes that perhaps there was some mistake that got me through all the screening steps that should have alerted them that I wasn't "one of them" and that I kept expecting that they would realize their mistake and that I would get a little tap on the shoulder and a nice, burly man in grey to escort me from the building.

On the morning of Friday, February 27, 2009, I got the tap on the shoulder - although it was really a call from one of the hiring partners and a very civil meeting in my, at that point soon-to-be-former, office and rather than a security guy to escort me out I was given a week to "transition" all of the current matters I was working on.

But here is the thing about that "joke" - it was almost total bullshit. My way of being self-deprecating about having landed a very nice, very prestigious, and very over-paid job that I felt I was supposed to feel at least a little bit sheepish about. I was a cattle-rancher's son and suburban under-achiever, for crap's sake.

Truth was, though that I loved the job, liked the prestige, and felt like I deserved to be there. I was working beside smart and motivated people from much more impressive sounding schools, but when I looked around I didn't say "crap, I am out of my league," I said "yeah, I think I can take these guys." With the rare exception of a couple of truly mind-blowing legal superstars (and one up and coming superstar), I knew that if I was willing to put my shit down, I could hang. I didn't feel out-matched or out-classed, I felt like I belonged. I still feel that way, although it is a little hard not to internalize The Firm's apparent disagreement on this score.

So, I have been back out on the market for a little over a month. I fully anticipated being out here again at some point. (Even if I had decided that I wanted to shoot for the partnership brass ring, generally less than one in ten junior associates ever make it through to partner at the same firm that they start in.) I just did not expect it to come around so soon.

The gloss had come off The Firm apple a bit in the last six months. There had never been enough work to go around from the day I started back in 2007, but the second half of 2008 was pretty dismal. Work was extremely thin, and I had never landed a substantial assignment in the area of law that I was most interested in. The politics, bureaucracy and day-to-day bs that comes along with any large organization was even more prominent than it would have been had they been working us all to death (as would be usual, and as we had expected when we signed on).

Even still, I had sought out and landed several excellent work experiences - my Seventh Circuit appeal being a particular highlight - and had grown to be very close friends and colleagues with many people at The Firm. While my layoff may still end up being a relatively "good thing" in the end, it would be disingenuous of me to say that I was happy to be laid off, because I most certainly was not. Beyond the financial hit (mitigated by a generous severance package), I continued to be eager to show my stuff. To prove what I knew to be true, that I could hang.

I Get Paid To Do This?

2008-10-23T18:00:00.012-05:00

In general, the work that I do on a daily basis isn't glamorous. Forget everything you have seen on television about the life of a lawyer. Television lawyers talk - they argue with opposing counsel in the courtroom, in the judge's chambers, in their office, in opposing counsel's office, they argue with each other, etc. Real attorneys don't actually do that much talking - even, if not especially, the litigators. What we do is read a lot and write a whole lot. We hardly ever get to appear in a courtroom, and even then it is often just for a minute or two so the judge can ask us if we want a continuance (yes, we always want a continuance). We do wear suits . . . but usually only when we have to appear in court, which again, isn't very often.

So my day to day job is often rather tedious - an exercise in staying on task and paying attention to detail. I'm not crafting new constitutional norms or harassing a witness on the stand until they break down and confess. (Trust me, no one was more disappointed than I to learn that this was not normal, everyday behavior.)

But the firm that I work for is pretty generous, and part of that generosity is allowing us low-level associates to do a lot of pro bono work -- unlike some firms, there is no limit on the number of pro bono hours that count toward our yearly billing requirement -- and there is a lot of very interesting pro bono work out there if you want it. I have done, and continue to work on, quite a number of different pro bono matters - assisted a client in obtaining an order of protection against an abusive ex-boyfriend, helped an immigrant who fled from a small African country in order to protect herself and her daughters to navigate the bureaucratic nightmare that is our immigration system and gain asylum status here in the United States, helped another immigrant who was denied adequate medical treatment while in custody seek redress from the people in charge who should have known better, and others. But this year I've had one big pro bono case that has dominated both my time and attention.

It is a criminal appeal before the Seventh Circuit. I was assigned by the Court to serve as the attorney for a man convicted of felony possession of a firearm. It's a relatively simple and straightforward charge, but the facts of his case and his trial were anything but simple and there were actually a number of issues to explore in his case and a strong argument to be made that the handling of his trial had been unjust. Over the course of about six months I -- with great help from some more senior attorneys at my firm -- scoured the record, met with the client (in a very John Grisham-esque scene at the Terre Haute federal facility in Indiana), and put together a brief to the court laying out our arguments for why my client deserved a new trial. The government put forward their response, and we countered with our own reply. -- See. Lots of reading and writing.

Yesterday though . . . yesterday was oral argument. Yesterday, I got to be Perry Mason, Jack McCoy, Eugene Young, and maybe just a touch of Cousin Vinny thrown in for good measure. Oral argument is where myself and opposing counsel go before the three-judge panel who will decide the case and who have already read our briefs, and present our best 10 minute argument for why we should win and the other side should lose. I've been told that you rarely win a case on oral argument, but that its entirely possible to lose one there.

Argument went well. I served my client, and made a good case for his interests. The weeks before were filled with an incredibly amount of stress for a 20 minute total performance, but . . . I must admit . . . it was also a heck of a lot of fun.

So today I'm back, reviewing draft pleadings and reading cases for a memo that I have to write - not very dramatic. Yesterday, though, . . . yesterday was all about the drama. More please!

To be reminded...

2008-08-11T20:00:00.004-05:00

. . . of why you miss where you came from, and why you love the new place where you are. Spent a weekend back in Washington here just a little bit ago. The first of what will hopefully be many annual get-togethers of the Livingston siblings. The two hour time difference did wonders for my ability to get up early and do a little photography before the day got going in earnest. It was cloudy and gray almost the entire time I was there - iconic Western Washington weather. I hadn't realized how much I've become accustomed to the landscape and foliage of the Midwest. Wandering the fire roads near my parent's place really did feel like reacquainting myself with an old friend. It's gorgeous county, but not without it's flaws and idiosyncrasies - just like Indiana and Illinois. I loved the trip and had a great time getting back up to speed with the family. I'm looking forward to the next time. But I have to say that -- for the first real time since I've moved from the West to the Midwest -- stepping out into that hot, humid morning at O'Hare didn't feel like walking into some curious and alien place - it felt like coming home.

Not exactly a surprise...

2008-08-07T12:01:00.002-05:00

So I took the little quiz noted below to tell me what type of liberal I am, and apparently I'm a liberal elite. Who knew?

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Gotta Love This Town...

2008-01-03T22:00:00.002-06:00

... even when it is colder than snot!

The Joy of Being a Stub...

2007-12-07T15:00:00.001-06:00

So, when exactly do I get to start feeling like a real lawyer?

Been a few months now at the new job and haven't had much of anything that a marginally qualified administrative assistant couldn't handle. With a handful of exceptions, projects have either been thin or just lots of tedious detail work. The majority of my assignments have just been tons of proofing. Feels like being on law journal as a 2L all over again... except the copy I'm proofing is a lot more mundane now than those articles were back then.

My firm works on a regular year cycle (January through December) for advancement and pay/bonuses. The billing requirement doesn't really kick in until January, so any time we bill now until January 1st doesn't really "count."

In theory this is a good thing: you can take it easy, only take on projects that you are really interested in, and have nights and weekends free for the life that will be abruptly taken away from you once you have to start scrambling to get hours to keep up with the billing requirements. In practice, however, it becomes sort of an odd high-wire act. Everybody knows what is expected of us come January 1st, but what is expected of us until then is much less clear. Are we really supposed to act like our hours don't matter, or are only those of us who manage to bill like crazy going to be picked for projects come the time it really matters? If we don't have anything, is it really okay to leave at 2:00 to go home and pet your cats?

My firm is actually pretty good about this (as I'm continually finding out it is about most things). Nobody is going around checking your desk at 6:00 p.m. (or 2:00 p.m. for that matter) to see if your there, and, while they of course want you to be willing to help out if you can (gotta be a team player!) they also really seem to want you to go out and enjoy yourself if you really don't have anything to do. Oddly, just about the time that I figured this out, my work schedule filled up and I ended up spending several late nights and one weekend banging away at projects while more senior attorneys shook their head. They "had" to be there, what was my excuse? But now that's done and I'm back to doing next to nothing. Well, at least there is another couple of weeks to enjoy being slow. Once the new year hits, being slow won't be fun anymore.

Lovely, Lazy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T11:44:00.002-06:00

Chilling at home. Dinner with friends later.

FYI... the Cubs suck!

2007-10-07T22:00:00.001-05:00

Wow. I know they played well enough to at least get them into the playoffs, but the way the Cubs played against Arizona was just pathetic. With the home team stinking up the diamond and old Lou glowering from the dugout as yet another raft of players get stuck out on base in the clutch, if felt just like being back in Seattle during the Mariners bad old days. Wanted the team to do better for Lou. Guess he has got two more seasons to break The Curse. Next season is the 100th anniversary season since the Cubs won a World Series. ...Spooky stuff.

FYI . . . I'm a lawyer!

2007-10-05T10:10:00.002-05:00

Well . . . okay . . . I still need to get sworn in. But the results for the Bar Exam were posted today and, wonder of wonders, I passed! Now it's just ceremony. I don't know if anyone who hasn't been through the experience can truly understand what an immense relief getting the news is. Everyone of the new hires at my firm that I work for are intelligent and were dilligent law students. Everybody took the Bar study course and spent the time studying. But when the results came in yesterday, it was like a collective sigh of relief escaped the building. The test is difficult, but the passage rate is high. I don't think that anyone was truly afraid that they had failed, including myself. The consequences of failing, however, to your pride as well as your career can be enormous. Getting those results felt like the real end to my days of being a student. It had as much impact, if not more, than graduating. Good to have that behind me. Feeling much lighter today.

So This Is Me...

2007-09-24T18:30:00.001-05:00

Inspired by my little bro and my two oldest nieces (and finding myself with some unexpected free time on my hands), I thought I might put together a personal blog.

Back in 2001 and 2002, prior to heading to law school and during a period when I thought I might want to get a second degree in journalism while I got my J.D., I had a little web site called theMargin.org (now defunct, although I still own the URL). It was a politics and commentary blog that attempted to look at the edges of the political debate and the people and issues that sometimes get pushed to the sides of the mainstream. I interviewed a few of the local oddball politicos and personalities, did a little first hand reporting on a handful of labor and anti-war rallies, and posted some random opinion essays on the Seattle political and social landscape after 9-11 and into the lead up to the Iraq War. I loved doing the site, but underestimated how much time and energy it would take to keep it going and fresh.

For this, my ambitions are much smaller and (hopefully) manageable. What I'm looking for here is a space to post just a personal blog, where family and friends can check in occasionally to see what the heck I'm up to. I will probably post some photography off and on, but I'm not looking for this to be a photoblog. I guess I'm hoping that this might finally be the journal format that I am able to actually maintain on a regular basis (although not daily, or even necessarily weekly). My ambition is to post updates here once or twice a month. I thought about using the Margin's old URL, but Blogger seems much easier to maintain for what I'm looking to do. (And while I can't imagine having the time to restart theMargin at any point in the near future, the idea of one day revitalizing the site and the idea is something that I still am holding on to.)

I find myself at one of those "big transitions" in life. I've just graduated from law school at the fresh, young age of 37. (Hey, some of us take a little while to figure out what we want to be when we grow up.) I did well in school and find myself hired as an associate to a very nice, somewhat large, and not at all unserious law firm. I'll be working in the firm's Chicago office. K and I have got ourselves a little place on the north side of the city and we are looking forward getting ourselves grown up furniture for the first time in either of our lives. We have both been enamored of Chicago since we moved out to the Midwest for school and are very excited to start calling it home.

All this makes me feel like I should be writing down and documenting the experience, marking the moment and the resulting changes somehow.

If you are stopping by, it's probably because I emailed you and invited you to come take a look. Leave a comment if you want, or just e-mail me, I'd love to hear from you. Much love to you all. Talk to you again soon.