Month: June 2021

PRIDE

I can’t believe Pride month is almost over.  Pre-pandemic, this month was filled with fun events celebrating the LGTBQ+ community.  Companies hosted happy hours at the bars in Boystown, Proud to Run was a 5K/10K race that was followed by very boozy brunches in the nearby restaurants, and of course, the parade.  This weekend is when the parade would flamboyantly march through the packed streets of Boystown, Lakeview and Uptown.

Celebrations have been more subdued as Chicago muddles its way through re-opening.  The parade has been pushed to October, but Chicago and its residents are still showing their support.

Buckingham Fountain Pride, Chicago 2021

I went to the Buckingham Fountain at 10:00 pm on a Saturday night to take photographs.  I couldn’t tell you why I was so adamant on capturing it at night.  I’m rarely downtown these days and almost never at night so it was a very happy surprise to see the buildings dressed in their Pride colors.

Rainbow House, Chicago (Andersonville) 2021

This house is a 10-minute walk from my condo.  Here’s a link to an article about couple who live here.

 

Magnolia Avenue, Chicago (Andersonville) 2021

Each year, the residents of Magnolia Ave wrap their trees with the Pride colors.

 

 

Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there!  Cubs are playing today so for all the dad Cubs fans, I hope your kids leave you alone this afternoon long enough to drinks some beers and watch the game in peace.

I made this photograph from Randy’s home.   Being the 49th floor of a high rise, he has an amazing view of the city.  The view of  Wrigley Field tucked up in the middle of the city is one of my favorites.  It never ceases to amaze me that there are ball fields and cemeteries and federal prisons in the middle of neighborhoods. Chicago is wild like that.

 

For the Birds

Joel Meyerowitz got the idea for his book Wild Flowers when going through his archive, he noticed that he had dozens of photographs about flowers.  Women carrying flowers, tables with floral centerpieces, gardens, people in gardens.  He has encouraged photographers to look through their own photographs to see if they can find any recurring themes.

My “archive” is quite small so it’s easy for me go through my photographs.  Though, I really didn’t need to do so to find a recurring motif in my work.  I’ve submitted at least four photographs of birds for my class assignments in the past three weeks.  I’ve never considered myself a bird person (it’s a well known fact that I am a cat lady).  I don’t go birding.  I don’t buy bird figurines or bird books or pictures of birds and yet I seem to like to photograph them.  Perhaps I should take up birding.  (My 20-something self is rolling her eyes so hard right now and getting ready to go day drink in an effort to make up for how lame her future self is turning out.)

The Birds, Chicago 2021

There’s corridor in the Loop where every single pigeon in the city of Chicago comes flying down at 5:00 pm.  It’s like they know it’s quittin’ time and are heading to their little pigeon happy hour to squawk about how hard their day of pigeoning was.

 

Pigeon, Chicago 2021

I watched his guy strut around the platform while I was waiting for the train.  He had such a confident little strut.  His colors were so beautiful to me on what was a pretty gray and rainy day.  The pigeons in Chicago are not afraid of humans so I was able to get pretty close to him to make a photograph before he strutted away.

 

Robin, Chicago 2021

I was working in my home office when I heard a bunch of scraping sounds on my deck and Gladys was chirping at the windows.  I peeked outside and saw this distinguished gentlemen sitting on my deck railing.  I was a bit surprised because I’ve never seen a bird on my deck and he was completely unfazed by the cat trying to get through the windows.  He hung out long enough for me to make a few photographs and taunt the cat.  Such arrogance!

 

Cardinal, Chicago 2020

During quarantine I would take walks around my neighborhood in the morning to stretch my legs and escape the prison my condo had become.  I was surprised the first time I saw a cardinal darting about.  I had only ever associated them with winter.  I started taking my camera on my morning walks in hopes of getting a picture.  Unlike the pigeons, they do not seem to like to pose for photographs.  I followed this bird from tree to tree and house to house before he stayed still enough for me make a photograph.