Back From the Darkness of Covid and 2020

 At Last returning to Photography - 2021

Oh it isn't that I haven't been taking photos. I still did some sports photography of my daughters Clayton High School field hockey team this past year, 2020, but to be honest with you I have been locked at home like much of the rest of the world from COVID. So I have been working on some camera building projects, slowly building the darkroom gear and contemplating the whole digital verses analog camera and life divide. This morning instead of going on a cold outdoor bike ride, I decided instead to take photos. Today's images are posted from the Polar Vortex storm day we had here in St. Louis at the beginning of the week. I hope that you enjoy and are drawn to these images, and I hope that posting here will become a much more frequent and predictable process again. I also hope to "modernize" this blog and make it something of practical use and enjoyment. Hopefully, soon I will get vaccinated, and feel much more comfortable being out in the world of people....other then just cyclists in a pace line. 

A Winters Walk In Forest Park 

Images taken Monday, February 15, 2021. It was a cold walk to Forest Park. Temperature was hovering around 8F, the wind was blowing at between 15-22 MPH and the snow was flying. The wind chill was -16F. Normally I laugh at wind chill but that day it was a serious consideration. A harsh day for a walk and an even harsher day to be taking photos. The Nikon D4s had a hard time doing its job. By the end of my walk it had stopped focusing. 

St. Louis Art Museum West Entry

I

Plug and Modernity

The Old Man Groans

At Peace

Miles to Go

The Family

Big Brother

The Dwarf

Why Not! CUW Game Photos from their game against Fontbonne University

Pregame

D-Pole shooting! 

The Canadian Goes for the Goal! 

The Shot! 

Stand Clear or it will hurt! 

Behind the Back Pass!

It's a Game of Possession!

Pass on the run! 

Hey that's not legal!

Being Coached!

Focus! 

He will not be stopped! 

Getting Through! 

Weave and Dart! 

Stand Back! 

Can I have this back! 

Yes it will!

Turnover!

The Goalie doesn't realize it yet!

It Counted! 

Its Spring What does that mean? LACROSSE!!!!!

The Shot! 

CUW Men's Lacrosse receives votes in USILA Coaches Poll
CUW FALCONS RECEIVE VOTES IN USILA POLL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEAM HISTORY!


A Great image of Player #8 Stephan Gregory scoring a goal against Beloit in Saturdays CUW 17-7 Win over Beloit.  

Hopefully I will be posting some of the thousands of photos I have taken and will likely be taking. For my next post we will be testing out my Sony A6500 mirror-less camera doing lacrosse photography as the Nikon D4S and 300MM 2.8 are just too much to travel with. 

Siena Palio July 2, 2018

This year I was lucky enough to get to attend Siena's Il Palio Horse Race on July 2, 2018 with my two kid's Ian and Emma. While it was a long day and we thought that it would never get started. After an entire day of pomp, parades, Contrada's showing off hundreds of years of tradition being followed it was time for a horse race. Well that is what we thought. The race finally started around 9:30 PM but only after several false starts and what seemed like an eternity horses lining up at the start. Once it did however, wow! Two minutes of flying bodies both human and horses, medical attendants scrambling and after a few quick laps it was then all over. Well accept for a minor riot that broke out between members of the winning Contrada and one of the losing Contrada's. 

Later as we were trying leave and just outside Il Campo, in the winding maze of streets that is Siena, we came across what seemed like hundreds of Italian police all bunched up and blocking pedestrians. I sensed that this was not a good place for me and my kids to be so we tried to turn around but we were blocked in. Suddenly a drunk guy leaped through the police line and took a swing at what I think was the winning horse. Quickly the police descended on him an began aggressively pushing the group we were in back. Behind us was another group of police. The immediate crowed quickly dispersed into the adjacent piazza and we made our escape. I have posted just a quick series of photos I took. I haven't even begun to look at and sort the hundreds of photos and movie footage I shot that day. These start with one shot before the race, several during the race and one as we came upon the horse and police afterward. After that however I was no longer taking photos! We just wanted to get to our car and go home. We were hot tired, hungry and not looking forward to the hour and a half drive back to Volpia over the windy roads of Tuscany. When we did reach our villa my wife had put together a spread of left overs and wine from our dinner the night before and we all talked about the wild events of the day.  

 

Some Images of Oak Park and Frank Lloyd Wright

Neighbor Through Wright Window

Wright Home Office

Ceiling Light

Chimney Detail

Facing the Yard

House Detail

Prairie Style

Contemporary Neighbor

Classic Wright



Unity Temple 1



Unity Temple 2


Images taken on a rainy Saturday in April.