tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122983452024-03-07T03:08:42.184-06:00Points of LightA vision is like a lighthouse which illuminates rather than limitsJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.comBlogger1531125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-68827076466083919982012-06-07T14:28:00.000-05:002012-06-07T14:28:11.973-05:00Storm chasing<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/7209490934/" title="Retreat by James Jordan, on Flickr"><img alt="Retreat" height="613" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5459/7209490934_5457cf5062_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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It's been a quiet spring and early summer here in northern Illinois so far, weather wise. Not too many storms brewing up this way. A lot of good my online storm spotter training has done for me, huh? Storm spotter training has taught me the best position from which to view a storm (useful for photography) as well as the worst. Best position also means safest position.<br />
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We recently had a small storm system move through late in the day. I followed it on radar via my iPhone as it approached from the west and mapped a route to intercept it (also on the iPhone -- what a great tool. Thanks, Mr. Jobs). My wife and I then drove through the storm and followed it as it headed east. The image above shows the storm retreating over some northern Illinois farmland late in the day. Late afternoon sunlight played across the open fields as menacing clouds snarled overhead.<br />
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This image is a combination of two pictures. One was exposed form the sky, the other for the field, then both images were combined on computer.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-47219094147923926692011-06-15T10:19:00.003-05:002011-06-15T10:31:57.912-05:00Against the wind<a title="Against the wind by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5730651448/"><img height="312" alt="Against the wind" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2589/5730651448_09b7cf0de4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The only thing I like better than photographing people is photographing people doing something they love to do in the environment in which they love to do it. Suzanne was kind enough set aside some time to model for me. More than once. Unpredictable weather canceled more than one scheduled session. We finally wwere able to connect on a chilly spring day to get the picture above. Several times running around the bend. Sun in her face. Wind blowing like crazy. But she loves to run. She loves to help others. By posing for me, she got to do both.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-23489943354083363922011-05-17T07:45:00.003-05:002011-05-17T07:49:13.676-05:00Walking the lonely path<a title="Cold day on the beach by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5726847598/"><img height="425" alt="Cold day on the beach" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5726847598_e911d9cda7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Taken last weekend on the shores of Lake Michigan near Evanston, Illinois. Recent weather has been more suited for late November than mid-May, and this picture is indicative of that.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-62995399367840499892011-04-29T11:23:00.003-05:002011-04-29T11:27:15.597-05:00Tempest<a title="Drama in the skies by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5664881935/"><img height="409" alt="Drama in the skies" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5190/5664881935_1b4f599ffd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />A look at the skies in northern Illinois while storms and tornadoes battered the southern U.S. Spring is the time when the cold of winter is replaced by the warm of summer. It does not change peacefully, however.<br /><br /><a title="Tempest by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5669538757/"><img height="414" alt="Tempest" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5669538757_d46ff57a56_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-7806292332220453672011-04-27T09:13:00.004-05:002011-04-27T10:44:44.334-05:00Lights! Camera! Robins!<a title="As the day closes by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5660849735/"><img height="425" alt="As the day closes" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5102/5660849735_59902d0a66_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />I heard a commotion near my front door about a week ago. A series of shrill warbles that sounded like a robin. Upon investigation, I found that a female had built a nest in a yew bush right outside the door at about eye level. I presume the commotion was to announce the laying of a clutch of four eggs.<br /><br /><a title="Robin's egg blue by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5648184802/"><img height="425" alt="Robin's egg blue" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5067/5648184802_80c0df9db1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Not being one to waste an opportunity when it's handed to me, I've scouted various angles of view, planned placement of lights and cameras, and will document the robin family over the course of the next three or four weeks.<br /><br />Mama's already gotten a taste of being in the limelight. The top picture looks as if it were taken in the late afternoon sun. Oh, no. Mid-day. Flash on a light stand ten feet away, zoomed and gelled to simulate late day sunlight and put a catchlight in mama's eye. White balance on camera adjusted to heighten the effect.<br /><br />Mama took it all in stride. No prima robin she.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5661661038/" title="Drops by James Jordan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5661661038_6379600a50_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="Drops"></a><br /><br />More to come.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-44599658687308603442011-04-18T11:35:00.003-05:002011-04-18T11:39:52.936-05:00Mmm ... nectar<a title="Mmm ... nectar by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5631885532/"><img height="400" alt="Mmm ... nectar" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5631885532_6e6a0638ca_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> We both struggled to get what we wanted. I wanted a picture and the hummingbird wanted food. The bird came back to the feeder again and again, despite my presence just five feet away. I'd fire off a shot and scare the little guy off. He'd come back for his meal and we'd repeat. After I got a few shots worth keeping, I let the bird eat his fill. Bounced flash fired by wireless trigger.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-43630561918105303112011-03-21T08:47:00.002-05:002011-03-21T08:51:34.160-05:00What's on the horizon?<a title="On the horizon by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5546886914/"><img height="438" alt="On the horizon" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/5546886914_a00c001869_b.jpg" width="660" /></a><br /><br />You can sit and wait to see what happens or you can go out and meet it.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-366446786090688702011-01-11T07:51:00.001-06:002011-01-11T07:54:33.418-06:00Let it snow<a title="Coming through by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5238751795/"><img height="425" alt="Coming through" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5046/5238751795_cd18dc6158_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-46305479512712101302011-01-01T15:44:00.002-06:002011-01-01T15:47:07.598-06:00A great year starts today!<a title="A great year starts today ... go for it by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5313138649/"><img height="304" alt="A great year starts today ... go for it" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5313138649_8b0ef81271_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Hope yours ends up on this side of awesome.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-59928854384935119352010-12-29T10:31:00.002-06:002010-12-29T10:34:08.471-06:00Winter wood<a title="Winter wood by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5303174949/"><img height="448" alt="Winter wood" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5208/5303174949_3ce72a105d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Log pile and barn at Peck Farm Park in Geneva, Illinois.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-31269169489781976602010-12-01T11:54:00.005-06:002010-12-01T11:58:35.272-06:00Walk on by<a title="The path by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5216377238/"><img height="425" alt="The path" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5210/5216377238_949f4ebd48_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Continuing with the theme of taking people's pictures while they're walking away from me. This is my wife, taken while out for a walk this past weekend. Curve of the path, shadow line and placement of the figure were all intentional. The footprint of a dude with a large foot and that of a horse are bonuses.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan. </span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-63337536808233367242010-11-30T09:01:00.003-06:002010-11-30T09:04:06.703-06:00Carried away<a title="Carried away by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5216381256/"><img height="640" alt="Carried away" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5216381256_2fa62dfcb4_z.jpg" width="499" /></a><br /><br />Snapped this shot during some down time during a recent family portrait session. The little guy was getting restive and mom decided to take the young man for a spin. He loved it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan. </span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-1663648712608848622010-11-28T19:21:00.002-06:002010-11-28T19:28:18.914-06:00End of November<a title="First ice by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5216375498/"><img height="425" alt="First ice" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5216375498_2b3b7af7b2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />With winter closing in. This is the month my wife describes as existing in "two shades of brown." Toss in a little blue sky and the occasional snatch of color here and there, and it's not too bad.<br /><br /><a title="Ancient tree by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5215784501/"><img height="425" alt="Ancient tree" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/5215784501_0ca0a4188f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Photographs taken at Jelke's Creek Bird Sanctuary in Sleepy Hollow, Illinois. I plan to revisit the huge old tree throughout the month of December.<br /><br />Photographs © 2010 James Jordan.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-62407707433979970602010-11-05T22:17:00.004-05:002010-11-05T22:37:03.301-05:00Foreclosed<a title="Shades by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5149766129/"><img height="429" alt="Shades" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1369/5149766129_5b1b47ee8f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />There are a lot of empty houses around, and if what I hear on the news is true, there will be a great many more in the months ahead. I recently was hired by a real estate company in Chicago to photographically document a number of properties they represent.<br /><br /><a title="Bathroom door by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5150369180/"><img height="419" alt="Bathroom door" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1221/5150369180_84d812703a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />I was told to be very trigger happy when it came to capturing the condition of the properties. An old two-story structure with a full basement garnered about 250 frames to record the effects of age, use and abuse.<br /><br />What started as a "just the facts" approach changed about midway through this particular home. As I framed up shot after shot of wear and decay, I began to see stories in the details of the old house.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5150409876/" title="Basement sink by James Jordan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1045/5150409876_bcbe440e9b_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="Basement sink" /></a><br /><br />Perhaps I've found a muse to keep me occupied over the winter months ahead.<br /><br />And there's no lack of subject matter.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-80357106662741845102010-10-25T20:14:00.003-05:002010-10-25T20:30:33.534-05:00Zooooom<a title="Zoom by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5045720169/"><img height="425" alt="Zoom" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5045720169_a0d34f937f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Hi. Remember me? The guy who used to post 20-25 posts a month here? Yeah, that guy.<br /><br />I was photographing storm clouds rolling in over a corn field out in the open countryside west of Chicago way back in September. Shooting in between passing cars. Finally I thought, why not? I waited for the next car to come by and shot just as it passed. For no other reason than that it might make for an interesting shot.<br /><br />I pretty much missed autumn as far as getting colorful fall pictures for myself. Most of my weekends were taken up with photography gigs and my weekdays with processing pictures. And it doesn't look like things will ease up any time soon. Not that there's a problem with that. I'm thankful for the work, much of it repeat business and referrals from happy clients. Gotta love that.<br /><br />Not sure about the fate of this blog. It may wind up going the way of other abandoned blogs. Maybe I can come up with a theme for the winter months and post a series of shots here. Maybe it becomes a showcase for the professional stuff I'm currently doing. Dunno for sure.<br /><br />I'm now into by-the-seat-of-the-pants video production. Picked up a client that keeps me busy producing short videos. Getting some inquiries for making more videos from here and there.<br /><br />It's an interesting ride and I'm happy to see where it takes me.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-79311053885550752662010-10-04T09:37:00.007-05:002010-10-04T10:00:38.712-05:00Katie<a title="Katie - senior portrait by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5051294476/"><img height="425" alt="Katie - senior portrait" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5051294476_e3e9056f12_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />I spent the month of September shooting pictures for a lot of people. Nothing wrong with that, but I was kept so busy, I didn't have time to make any pictures for myself. I did get to go out this past Saturday and do some landscape shooting just for me. Didn't come back with too much worth keeping, but it was good to get out and play with possibilities.<br /><br />One of the things that going out on Saturday helped with was a senior portrait session on Sunday. Once the fairly standard selection of senior picture poses were in the bag, I experimented with environmental portraits, and I'm pretty happy with the results.<br /><br />Nearly every shot from the session is lit with flash, but in such a way as to blend in with the late day sunlight. Sometimes the flash was the key light with the sun adding an accent. Other times I let the sun be the main light while filling in the shadows with flash. Katie's mom is standing just to the right of the larger tree in the picture above, holding a flash unit aimed at her daughter which was fired with a wireless trigger. Had there been no flash, the right side of Katie's face would have been dark.<br /><br /><a title="Katie by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5049813418/"><img height="425" alt="Katie" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5049813418_8889fe4a6e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />For the most part, this was straight-ahead, no diffusers, stark nekkid flash. There wasn't alot of choice because a diffuser or umbrella would have gotten blown away by pretty strong winds. But it worked.<br /><br /><a title="Katie - senior portrait by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5051295326/"><img height="500" alt="Katie - senior portrait" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5051295326_ab1e23bc14.jpg" width="394" /></a><br /><br />Besides helping to balance the ambient sunlight, the flash adds a little catchlight in the eyes, a little sparkle, a little life. Nice.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photographs © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-2060811693833961242010-09-23T09:03:00.002-05:002010-09-23T09:32:17.457-05:00Terms of engagement<a title="DSC_0681 by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5017166945/"><img height="425" alt="DSC_0681" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/5017166945_cc87a4d1e2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />I had the chance to shoot an engagement session recently in the historic town square of Woodstock, Illinois. The one that was used in the movie <em>Groundhog Day</em> to recreate Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.<br /><br />It was an intimate session. Just Katie, her fiance Brent, my wife as an assistant and 200 partygoers crammed into the square for a late summer festival of some sort. The soiree was not listed on the square's upcoming events on the town web site. Ah, well. So much for recreating Bill Murray/Andie MacDowell dancing in the gazebo.<br /><br />We made do. We hung around the outskirts of the square and I used clever angles and the occasional Photoshop clone tool to hide anyone who wandered into the background.<br /><br />I love shooting late day portraits. I love shooting early morning, too, but haven't been able to interest too many clients in getting up before sunrise to get to a location. The low sun in the sky offers a whole lot of lighting possibilities that don't exist midday.<br /><br />The picture above was lit with a single speedlight with a shoot-through umbrella to compensate for having the sun behind the subjects.<br /><br />More <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=499097&id=204084435005&ref=mf">pictures from this session </a>can be found on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Elgin-IL/James-Jordan-Photography/204084435005">Facebook photography page</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-62537847577361628382010-09-21T10:50:00.004-05:002010-09-21T11:12:31.217-05:00Peoplescapes<a title="DSC_0867 by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5011526715/"><img height="425" alt="DSC_0867" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5011526715_b1bc34d201_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Amy Rose discovered my photographs on this blog awhile back. She started following my work here and on <a href="http://flickr.com/jamesjordan">Flickr</a>. When it came time to select a photographer for her wedding, she had a short list. Last May, we got together in a Starbucks and talked about what she was looking for in her wedding pictures. "We love your landscapes. If you could shoot our wedding the same way, we'd be thrilled."<br /><br />She even chose a wedding venue that would be condusive to landscape photography -- the Wedding Canyon in White Pines State Park near Oregon, Illinois. Walls of exposed rock layers rise up to twenty feet above a beautifully landscaped floor of grass, trees, ponds and rocks.<br /><br /><a title="DSC_0842a by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5012128570/"><img height="512" alt="DSC_0842a" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/5012128570_dcf3609094_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />I shoot landscapes with an eye for the light. Where is it coming from? What is it doing? Can I add some light of my own and have it make sense? I look for shapes and colors that I can work into interesting compositions. Then I go for contrast and colors in the exposures. Which is exactly what I did on Amy Rose and James' wedding day.<br /><br /><a title="DSC_1037 by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/5012127852/"><img height="439" alt="DSC_1037" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/5012127852_ee525bdbdd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />And had a blast doing it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photographs © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-57045855450616615682010-09-08T07:41:00.003-05:002010-09-08T08:04:52.793-05:00Storm is over<a title="Storm is over by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/4966412372/"><img height="425" alt="Storm is over" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/4966412372_87afaf97e5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Drove through a very heavy thunderstorm on the way home from Wisconsin on Labor Day. Torrential rain, lots of lightning. As my wife and I approached Port Washington, the rains lightened as the tempest headed out over Lake Michigan. We drove to the Port Washington harbor to see what we could see.<br /><br />What we saw, just for a few moments, was the sun breaking through the clouds and casting rays over the harbor. Some large drops of rain were still falling as I fired off a half dozen shots. The tricky thing about this kind of shot is to make sure you've exposed properly, otherwise, you get blown out areas of pure white, and nothing in post processing can adequately fix those. I'd fire a shot, take a peek at the image's histogram and note with dismay the large areas of pure white, make an adjustment, meter on a bright but not too bright area of the scene and fire again, all the while hoping the magical view stuck around until I got it right.<br /><br />Number six was the charm. And then the scene disappeared.<br /><br />In post processing, where I only adjusted levels, I noticed that the dark areas of the image were riddled with small white spots. I thought to myself that I must have done something to mess up the camera's sensor while changing lenses in the rain. Great. I checked other images taken after this scene, and strangely enough, the spots weren't there. What was up?<br /><br />It was only after I had meticulouly removed each and every white spot that I concluded that the spots were backlit drops of rain. Oh.<br /><br />Maybe I should have left them in.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-17027553441124606292010-09-07T07:48:00.003-05:002010-09-07T08:04:13.847-05:00Back again for now<a title="Sheboygan Falls by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/4958327655/"><img height="374" alt="Sheboygan Falls" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/4958327655_502d6264a9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Some people are beginning to wonder where I went off to. The posting here has been slow to say the least. I've been right here where I've always been, but growing increasingly busy -- when you're trying to make a living as a freelance photographer, busy is a good thing. The only problem is that when you're busy, you wind up making nearly all of your pictures for someone else. Since I haven't had much of a chance to make pictures for myself, the frequency of new images appearing here has suffered.<br /><br />I had a chance to get out and make some pictures for myself over the Labor Day weekend, so at least for a couple of weeks there will be fresh stuff to see here. It will definitely be a hodgepodge of stuff -- nature, people, landscapes.<br /><br />Today's picture is a quickie. For years I've driven up to Door County, Wisconsin and back and each way, I'd pass a sign for Sheboygan Falls. And I'd always wonder if Sheboygan Falls had a waterfall. It does. Quite a few, in fact. The photo above is of the top of a series of cascades that cut through the town.<br /><br />I was passing through the town on the way to somewhere else and stopped by the falls. I wanted to use a slow shutter speed to blur the water, but didn't have a tripod with me. So I jammed the camera against a railing and experimented with shutter speeds. One-quarter seemed to do the trick. I would have preferred one-half second or longer, but I couldn't get that long of an exposure without showing some camera shake.<br /><br />Just a hint of fall color in the trees. We've made the turn into September and the turn of autumn is not far off.<br /><br />By the way, if I'm not here, you might be able to see some of my most recent work appear on <a href="http://flickr.com/jamesjordan">Flickr</a> and my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elgin-IL/James-Jordan-Photography/204084435005">Facebook photography page</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-68093019419550072072010-08-18T08:37:00.004-05:002010-08-18T08:58:20.795-05:00Under the stars<a title="Under the stars by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/4877172323/"><img height="425" alt="Under the stars" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4877172323_6cc1b806f1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Self portrait under a starry sky.<br /><br />My wife and I visited my daughter, who lives in a rural part of Tennessee. Far from city lights that pollute the night sky. Clear nights provide a spectacular star show that I love to capture on camera. This photograph was made in one exposure, with no Photoshop other than to adjust levels a tad.<br /><br />It took an hour or so to set up and choreograph this shot. I set up the camera on a tripod and framed the shot with an ultra wide angle lens while it was still light. Placed a flash on a stand just outside the frame to the left. Identified the spot in which I needed to stand.<br /><br />When it was sufficiently dark (nearly pitch black), I set the camera to a 30 second exposure. The flash (fired by a wireless trigger on camera) was set to go off at the end of the exposure. That gave me 30 seconds from the time I hit the shutter to use a handheld flash unit to light the trees (five pops of the flash), find my mark, place the handheld flash unit behind me and hit a pose before the final flash went off. The advance planning paid off. It only took three or four tries to get a frame that I liked.<br /><br />Ah, the things I do for my art.<br /><br />Extra points if you can find the Big Dipper. The big dip is in the orange shirt.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-8798783882425773702010-08-17T13:21:00.001-05:002010-08-17T13:22:54.354-05:00And you thought YOUR morning commute was a pain ...<a title="And you thought YOUR morning commute was a pain ... by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/4902118708/"><img height="403" alt="And you thought YOUR morning commute was a pain ..." src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4902118708_b206b7589d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Brook trout swimming upstream. Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, Tennessee.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-41742312795604175362010-08-15T21:12:00.001-05:002010-08-15T21:14:32.120-05:00Along life's road ...<a title="Along the road ... by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/4895785867/"><img height="425" alt="Along the road ..." src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4895785867_0c898a7c72_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />... it's sometimes stormiest before the calm.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-88142809868857446212010-08-11T10:36:00.003-05:002010-08-11T10:40:39.862-05:00Jellyfish<a title="Jellyfish by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/4882032899/"><img height="313" alt="Jellyfish" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4882032899_4a09d1f93b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Looking very much like a nebula in the outer reaches of the universe, a jellyfish floats in its particle-strewn tank at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.<br /><br />Only the universe inhabited by this creature is deep under the ocean of this planet.<br /><br />Fascinating creature.<br /><br />Photograph © 2010 James Jordan.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12298345.post-68188677146910771862010-07-30T08:51:00.002-05:002010-07-30T08:55:13.934-05:00Sparrow<a title="Sparrow by James Jordan, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/4843138119/"><img height="660" alt="Sparrow" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4843138119_f42b774822_b.jpg" width="532" /></a><br /><br /><em>But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.</em><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Matthew 10:29</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photograph © 2010 James Jordan.</span>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15270153414386269152noreply@blogger.com3