AND THAT'S HOW I BECAME A BIRDER

I think it was in elementary school that I nicknamed myself "Joe Cool."  Being cool was (and is) always pretty important to me.  According to my family (and some friends), my cool points took a serious hit when joined the camera club.  I guess people liken it to the AV Club.  But truth be told, the  South Shore Camera Club includes some incredibly talented and creative photographers.  Not to mention they are generous with their knowledge, kind and fun-loving.  Any success that I have had as a photographer, I owe to the members and speakers that have graced our club.  One subject I NEVER thought would interest me was nature photography.  And even more specifically, photographing birds.  An outsider might think "birding" is for the birds but in reality, I have found it quite fascinating and now that I am living on a pond, I'm learning by leaps and bounds that there's a lot that goes into identifying and photographing birds.  I recently noticed some small black and white birds on Straits Pond and learned that they are called Bufflehead ducks.  They had eluded my camera until early Sunday morning, when I clawed my way through the cattails, armed with my 100-400mm lens and a monopod.  I hope to go back to do a bit better but the light was good and I was pretty happy with these for a first attempt.  Turns out, birding is pretty cool.

MY KINDA TOWN

 I was born and raised in Chicago but have not lived there since 1984.  Only in town for 24 hours and even less than that on the city streets; I was seeing it with new eyes.  The architecture within a few square miles of Millennium is astounding and offers endless opportunities for making photos.  Armed only with my Canon S95 (point and shoot) I was unencumbered by gear and able to really focus on the curves and lines of the buildings around me.  Had an amazing Chicago dog at the Artist's Cafe and my only regret is that I didn't have more time.  Above, the iconic lion in front of the Art Institute with the Prudential building in the background.

 Below:  Artist Anish Kapoor was inspired by liquid mercury when he produced Cloud Gate, a 110-ton elliptical sculpture, which reflects the city's beautiful skyline.  Affectionately nicknamed "The Bean," the sculpture measures 66 feet long and 33 feet high and is constantly surrounded by photographers, attempting to capture their reflection with the city as a backdrop.

 Below:  The 625-foot Nichols Bridgeway links Millennium Park to the Art Institute's Modern Wing.

 Below:  part of the BP bridge in the foreground, architect Frank Gehry constructed this beautiful flowing structure that connects Millennium Park to Daley Plaza.

 Below:  the Marina City towers are NOT near Millennium park but as we drove out of town, I couldn't help snapping this as I remember these from my childhood.  In the heart of Chicago's Loop, Architect Bertrand Goldberg spent 30 years developing these twin 60-story towers, used both for residential parking and apartments.  Construction on the towers began in 1959 and was complete in 1964 and popular with Chicagoans as "corn on the cob."

NIGHT LIFE

I had the great pleasure of celebrating my daughter's 21st birthday by going to Las Vegas with her, her friend (who has the same exact birthday) and her friend's mother.  It's difficult to mix business with pleasure but I did spend some time walking the strip with my camera.  Vegas is alive at night and between the lights and attractions, there's no shortage of nighttime photo subjects.  I had my trusty travel lens (28-300) and although I brought my tripod, it never left the room.  Instead I used nearby railings or other objects to attempt to steady my camera and make use of slow shutter speeds.  Viva Las Vegas!

SNOW BLIND

Let's face it, everyone has had it with this winter and probably the last thing you want to see is more images of snow.  BUT, this winter has actually given photographers amazing opportunities to practice with exposure and white balance and challenge us to look at snow in different ways.  There are wonderful textures, shades and details out there and even though we are all LITERALLY up to our eyeballs in snow, we know that it won't last.  I have tried to make the most of the situation and make several trips back to the same spots in order to "see" them differently.  Though the conditions have been trying, these beach scenes really are more interesting with snow and ice than in the warm summer months.  Think spring!