Day 90

So I know I live in the city and I walk EVERYWHERE these days, but today was grueling!! My feet hurt so much that I had to take a hotel stop mid-day to do a shoe change!!
Had a great day though! Went to the Met, Central Park, walked around SoHo and then came back up north for dinner with Troy and one of his coworkers.

Got in late tonight after drinks and dinner so keeping it short. Have a busy day planned tomorrow~

Fire Escapes:

Day 89

NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!

Well, our travel wasn't exactly great today. We got off to a late start, I had trouble going through security and had my mace (that is attached to my house keys and has made about 20 flights in the past year) confiscated along with a warning and written up in a log. Ughhh. Then the airline changed my seat so T and I weren't next to each other so we pissed off some lady by asking if she'd give up her seat, which she did.
Once we got her we were welcomed by rain, wind and 40 degree weather. But being the troopers that we are, we walked around in it anyways for the whole day. We had dinner at the Spotted Pig - EXCELLENT and highly recommend if you are ever here!!

This first shot was taken at the Trinity Cemetery off of Wall Street. If you look closely you can see the rain coming down. This place was awesome. So much character. I hope the pictures don't come across morbid. Not at all what I was going for. I just think cemeteries are have this way of communicating that nothing else compares to. So much history. Amazing.

Trinity Cemetery, NY:


The second pic is pretty obvious. The New York Stock Exchange. I really like the way this turned out. Reminds me of all the photos we took while we were in Italy with all of the huge Roman pillars. I also like the angle. There was no possible way to get the entire building in the shot so I chose this route. I think it works.

NYSE:

Day 88

I've got some packing to do so I can't spend all my time tonight on the blog. Can't wait for NY!!! I'm packing light so that I can leave plenty of room to bring stuff home!

I love this wall! Such a great outside. In a city full of fences and places that you "can't" go - why not atleast make it interesting?

In PS I added an exposure, contrast and selective color layer.

Not Just a Wall:

Day 87

So the movie we went to yesterday The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was excellent. Often times I feel like the movies can't hold a candle to the written version, but this was an exception. If you don't mind subtitles I highly recommend it. However, it is rated "R" for a reason. All in all excellent film. I still recommend the book first though.

We also spend a couple hours before the movie Geocaching. What is this you ask? Well, kind of a grown up version of a treasure hunt. It's done world wide and organized online. Troy and I both thought this would be something that my sister-in-law's family would love. It's based completely on coordinates so a Garmin would come in handy. We got the idea from my friend Anna's blog. We had a great time walking around the city looking for random stuff people have hidden!!

The below shot was taken at one of the many marinas by the lake. For this shot I added a contrast and selective color layer. Lastly I added an invert layer to get the negative effect.

Negative Marina:

Day 86

Going to see a movie tonight so I'm posting early. Troy and I both read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last year so we're excited to see how the film version turned out. It's playing at the indie theatre right around the corner. I'll let you know how it is tomorrow!

We went for a long walk this morning with the boys. We walked along the lake, sat on a park bench eating tangerines, and took pictures. Perfect morning in my book.

In PS I added exposure, contrast, and selective color layers. I then added a b&w layer plus a tint to give the shot a sepia look.

Chillin' with the Geese:

Day 85

Finally Friday....sounds like it should be a song.
Not much planned for the weekend. Maybe scoping out some stuff to do while in New York next week, but other than that nothing planned.
Had some post work cocktails with my good friend Nicole - great way to end the week! Now I'm back home and settling in for a night of movies, blankets and wine. This is what makes the week all worth it!

Path of Solitude:

Day 84

These past few weeks have FLOWN by! I seriously don't know where the days have gone!
The most wonderful husband in the world gets home tonight from a trip to New York - next week I get to go along with him! YAY! My first trip to NY - I can't believe it's taken me this long to get there (aside from the occasional layover). I'm headed to the airport now. Wishing everyone a great Friday and the beginning of a wonderful weekend ahead!!

Road Blocks hit a Road Block:

Day 83

Hump day. Weird expression.

Really looking forward to another short week next week. One day weeks - we should implement this as standard practice. Ok, I guess I could live with 4 day weeks.

I hope that everyone is having a good start to this spring season. I saw a total of four robins today so I think that means Spring has officially sprung. Bring on the rain and sun!

Wagon:

Day 82

Tuesday. I spent the evening editing some pics (none of which will actually appear here), while participating in conference calls. I'm becoming the Master of multi-tasking!

This is a shot of bamboo, but oddly enough looks a lot like the the asparagus photo that I posted a few days back. Hmmm....I must have green on the mind. Nothing wrong with being "green". :)

Bamboo:

Day 81

Really didn't want to head back to work today after such a great weekend. But, I did.
Still have a ton to get done tonight and a horribly long day ahead tomorrow. Hope every one's week started out at least minimally better than my own.

In PS I added an exposure and selective color layer to the below.

Sunny Day:

Day 80

Well, the weekend is over and we're back home in Chicago!
It was such an awesome weekend spent with amazing friends! It's so weird to think about where we all were 10 years ago and how far we've come and the different roads we've taken. Mainly the difference between I-80 and I-35 in a more literal sense. But, no matter where we end up and what the next 10 years may bring I take comfort in the fact that these people will be a huge part of our lives. What a great feeling!! Thank you Krisha, Stuart and Pepe for a weekend that we so desperately needed!

This photo was taken down in TX. Pepe pulled over so that I could get some shots of this old dilapidated warehouse. In PS I added a selective color layer so that I could bring out the color in the sky. I tried to do an infrared look with a Channel Mixer and Overlay, but I didn't get the effect I was going for.

Old Warehouse in Texas:

Day 79

Keeping it short tonight as it's well after my bedtime. Actually almost forgot to do the blog tonight....Ooops.

All about babies this weekend!
This is a shot of lil' Kate with here parents' rings on here itty bitty toes. :)
In PS I added an exposure layer and a b&w layer. Enjoy!

Lil' Toes:

Day 78

Sunshine....oh how I have missed you!
What an awesome day and the start to a well deserved vacation for the husband and I.
Great weather, good food, and fantastic friends! Thank you to Krisha, Stuart for a place to stay and to Pepe for being our chauffeur. :)

We finally got to meet our "niece" baby Kate. What a beautiful little girl! You can see for yourself below.

In PS I added a B&W layer for no other reason but because I liked the shot better that way.

Baby Kate:

Day 77

Early post today - I'm afraid if I wait until we get to TX I won't want to mess around with the blog. I'll be too busy catching up with friends!

I'm feeling patriotic today (not that I don't every other day). Just particularly so today as I'm headed to a state that is know for being well, a little bit different that the rest of the states.

In PS I added a contrast layer and an exposure layer to help enhance the flags.

Sorry for the short post, I'm having a hard time concentrating with such a great long weekend ahead!!!

Foggy Flags:

Day 76

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully everyone is have a safe and enjoyable day!
Keeping it short tonight as I still have a ton to get done. But, I'll make up for it with an extra post.....or two. I will warn you however, before scrolling down that there is some...errrr....not so appropriate language below. Consider yourselves warned.

St. Pat's Boys:



Punk St. Pat:


New Shirt?:

Day 75

Have I mentioned how much I love Day Light Savings time?? Don't worry, my fascination won't last much longer as I once again become acclimated to the sun. It's just been too long since our last reunion.

Tonight's post is a take on Summer - yep, I'm already looking ahead. Nothing says summer like the farmers market and fantastic vegetable selections. I'm eating my way to summer!

In PS I added a contrast and exposure layer.

Asparagus:

Day 74

DAY LIGHT SAVINGS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This has got to be the best time of Spring! Walking out of work today it was like leaving early. After this unbearably long Winter it's so good to see the daylight....even if the sky is still grey. I'll give an hour of sleep up for this any day!

And, to top off this day I'm posting a picture I LOVE!
In PS I used a couple of layers to bring out the rusty color of the bridge.

Fog Train:

Day 73

A small case of the Sunday Sadies tonight. The cure? A four day work week ahead! We're headed down to visit our good friends in Dallas for the weekend. I'm hoping for warm weather....or at least warmer than 40's.

Not much to say about tonight's post. I like the bend of the tracks around the building. And the blue sky made for a great background in the second.

Union Building Tracks:


Union Building Sky:

Day 72

Today was the beginning of the week long celebration to honor St. Patrick. It's amazing how this holiday has transformed over the years. I remember in elementary St. Pats meant a lot of pinching and the grueling task of finding something green to wear while still looking "cool". Things have changed; the main goal being drinking as many bottles of Guinness prior to the sun rising. Ok, maybe it's not that bad, but it is a bit different that the good 'ole days.

Troy and I made a trip downtown this morning to check out some of the festivities. One of the biggest and most well known in Chicago is the dyeing of the river. Every year green dye by the truckloads are dumped into the river to achieve the effect below. It was really foggy today which also made for a great eerie effect.

In PS I used the selective color tool to adjust the color of the buildings below. I didn't want them to distract from the color of the river. The river itself I did not touch except to add an exposure layer to the entire shot.

Green River:

Day 71

It's Friday!!!!!!!!!!!! Had drinks with an old friend tonight that I hadn't seen for a while. It was great to catch up!

This post was taken under the Chicago Walkway. Don't worry, the dog's owner was right around the corner.

In PS I tried to add some contrast to bring out the dog's color a little more. This was a tough one because the dog was the same color as the wall. I tried to use the quick selection tool to add a new layer and enhance or change only the dog or the wall but it ended up looking awful and fake. Sooo....here's what I've got.

Tunnel Dog:

Day 70

Keeping it short tonight. I still have a lot to get done and I have to start the day extra early tomorrow for a meeting. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Pay Phones:

Day 69

I just don't understand how it is already Wednesday. I looked at the clock today fully expecting it to say something around 9:30 this morning and some how it was already 1:30!!! How does that happen? There really aren't enough hours in the day (especially when you spend more than half of those in meetings).

Crayons. You know, those old wax-y things that break into a million little pieces and provided hours of entertainment as a child. Seems simple enough right? Wrong. Crayons have evolved. I pulled out a box that we had laying around the house and put them on a mirror to take some pics. I noticed however that these are not the same crayons that I had as a kid. These crayons are global. They have the colors printed on the label in not one, not two, but THREE different languages. They also now come adorned with a fancy website which probably provides one million plus ideas for the creative use of a crayon (no, I did not actually visit the site). Crayons have evolved, like everything else it seems.

In PS I added a few layers to bring out the colors (pun intended).

Crayons Evolved:

Day 68

Happy Tuesday all!
Is it terrible that I'm already looking forward to the weekend?

Tonight's post is an ode to the city. The flags in the below are the official city flag of Chicago. I like the way the one on the left is pulled up while the piece of paper on the right side is hanging down. It adds some sort of balance to the shot.

In PS I used some layering to bring out the colors....especially the red in the brick and flags.

Chicago Flag Trio:

Day 67

I have the best husband in the world. Not to get too mushy, but after 9 1/2 years it really is all about the little things. Thank you Troy.

Tonight's post was taken underneath the train tracks by our house.
I like the way the light is only allowing part of the picture to be illuminated.
In PS I added a b&w layer. I know this is the second b&w in a row, but I really wanted to focus more on the simpleness of where the light is and where it isn't.

Spot Light:

Day 66

I've been looking for a series theme lately. Something I can take a number of pictures of at different locations and somehow manage to bring them together down the road.

Soooo.....tonight's post is just an idea. I'm putting it in grey scale because if I were to bring multiple "bin" photos together I would show them in b&w. Let me know what you think.

Graffiti Bin:

Day 65

Thanks to a certain cousin I had an excuse to venture to the west side (please picture me throwing signs) to visit Calumet Photographic. Thanks Bridget!!
No new purchases but I did scope out some wide angle lenses to add to my mental wish list.

In PS I adjusted the sky to be more eerie. I also added a contrast and exposure layer.


Pickens-Kane Building:

Day 64

Ahhhh.....the glory of Friday. Seriously, is there anything better than the feeling of Friday at 5:00? The whole weekend lays ahead.

I took this on the way home tonight. Kind of bummed out that this didn't turn out. I was trying to capture some of the movement, but I may have got too much. These guys had so much charisma. They made my wait for the train tonight very enjoyable.

Trio:

Day 63

Wow, this week flew by - almost Friday already!!

Tonight's post was taken downtown outside a storefront window.

In PS I added a couple layers to bring out the color in the marbles. If you look closely you can see my outline in the reflections. Wishing everyone a happy Friday and weekend ahead!

Marbles:

Day 62

Multi-tasking tonight. I've been on work conference calls all night that don't look to be ending anytime soon. Talk about productive! :)

I tried to be creative tonight in PS, but to no avail. In the pic below I attempted to create my first drop shadow. Not a complete failure, but I think I'll reserve it for my own critique for now. I'm exhausted and heading to bed so maybe I'll show my progress on this project later this week. For now, all you get are a few layers to bring out color.

Lone Bike:

Day 61

I'm in a rut. I'm uninspired and feel like my photos haven't been great lately.
If anyone one has any ideas, please pass them along.

Tonight's post was taken across the street from where I work. I love shots that show the life that I've become accustomed to in the past 2 years. And, well, taxis are a huge part of that.

In PS I added a few layers to bring out the colors a bit more. Enjoy!

Taxis:

Day 60

Just another Monday. Not much else to stay.
Hope everyone is off to a great week!

This was taken at one of the million bridges around the city. Okay, so maybe not a million, but there are quite a few of them. This one in particular runs over a set of railroad tracks on the west side of the city. I love all of the lines in this shot and the three lights that draw your eyes through the length of the picture.

In PS I added a b&w layer as well as an exposure layer. I know, I know, I REALLY need to learn some new stuff!!!! Any suggestions for new tools/techniques to try?

Track Signal: