I recently went with some friends to see the lighting of Michigan Ave. The street was filled with parade floats and people waiting for the fireworks and christmas lights. The scene made me think of a photo I took a year or two ago on Michigan Ave - this photo was taken with a film camera and I really like the angle and how the lights are blurry. I wasn’t trying to capture a certain subject, just taking random shots.
This was one of the last photographs I took with a film camera. I made the switch to digital about a year ago but I still like to occasionally buy a roll of film. There’s something about film, the blacks are much darker and I feel like you get higher contrast. I really like the dark tour boat surrounded by several white boats - makes for a great black and white shot.
I took this photograph while I was interning at DDB in 2008. I really like how the fog and the lights are blurry - it really helps set the mood in the photo. I think it’s crazy how I was interning in Chicago and a year later I’m living here. It’ll be interesting to see where I am a year from now.
I really miss New Orleans this week for some reason - thought I would post another one of my favorite graffiti photos that I took while living there. I’ve had several people ask me if I made major adjustments to this photo in photoshop and the answer is no. The reds, blues and blacks are so sharp and it caught my eye the second I got out of my car. I’m amazed that someone can create art like this using a few bottles of spray paint.
One thing I love about Chicago - They actually have seasons. Growing up in Texas it was either summer or winter - hot or cold. Fall here is amazing - all the shades of color and the cool, but not too cold, weather. I’m going to try and enjoy the weather before it’s -1000 for the next six months.
Yeah, Yeah.. So I’ve been slacking on my photography posts. I am finally adjusting to a new city, graduate school and some recent unfortunate events. Hopefully, I will start posting once or twice a week from here on out. One thing that I’ve learned about Chicago in the fall - it rains all the time and you never see the sun… Yeah, it sounds bad but at the same time I really like going to sleep and waking up to rain - Something really soothing about it. I tried to visually represent my view every morning when I wake up. I hear seasonal depression is big up here… Great….
Last year I lived in the loop in downtown Chicago. I spent a majority of my time exploring the city which required many trips on the L. This photo does a great job of displaying the different types of people who use the L. You have the tourist who is gazing up at the red line map wondering how the hell he is going to get to his hotel, the book readers and reserved locals, and the homeless man playing his guitar.
I wish I could describe the sounds going on throughout this photo. The sound of the L quickly approaching, the roar of the subway as it passes buy, and the echo of Steve Miller cover songs coming from the tiny amplifier next to the homeless man.
This photo was taken during my last week in New Orleans. Gemma and I were standing on St. Charles waiting for the street car. I was experimenting with depth of field and tried to focus on the street car in the distance. If you follow the street car tracks you might be able to see the street car slowly approaching our stop.
I really like this photo for several reasons. I like the distracted look on the subjects face, she is focusing on something outside of the image while the image itself displays several characteristics that help guide the viewers eye. The street car tracks, the street lights and power lines all help the viewer slowly focus farther down the line and eventually realize the street car in the distance.
I took this photograph at the Ballpark in Arlington during the Rangers/Red Sox series. This photograph is one of my favorite baseball photos that I’ve taken because its completely different from most baseball photos. The subject seems to be focused on something in the distance and/or deep in thought.
This is a good representation of a baseball player - focused and mentally preparing for the game. Notice the many shades of black on his face due to the sunlight and the baseball hat. I also like the subtle bulge in his left cheek from the dip.
I decided to post this photo after receiving so much feedback on my flickr page. I took this photograph at work this summer - the office has this room for creatives filled with games and a pool table with great lighting for black and white photography. I was messing around with the lighting and using the bright coffee areas in the back to compensate for the low light around the pool table.
I really like the shades of black in this photo along with the depth of field. I wish I could’ve photographed a subject shooting pool. I would’ve liked for him/her to be back by the corner pocket out of focus - Maybe I’ll give that a try and post a follow up to this post.
I took this photo during my last weekend in Dallas. I found a group of ducks sitting in a row and one duck was off to the side looking at its reflection in the water. I saw this possible shot from a distance and didn’t have my camera out but the duck sat there looking at itself for close to a minute. I was able to get my camera out and take a few shots before he decided to walk off.
I really like this photo for several reasons, the main reason being the black and whites of the reflection on the water. The duck also seemed to be deep in thought or confused by this similar looking figure in the water.
This weeks post is about my family dog, Max. He really doesn’t do much other than eat, bark and sleep so I decided to try and capture one of his favorite activities. I really like how this photograph turned out - The reflection of the dog on the hardwood floor and the natural blacks and whites of his coat.
I was experimenting with a new lens at the time (Nikon 35mm f1.8) which has become my go-to black and white lens, especially when photographing people or any other subject.
a collection of photographs by johnny schroepfer
