Waves, Chicago, 2018

While I just posted about my continuation of Geometry and how I was concerned I would run short on structures in Chicago, no sooner did inspiration hit and I took my Nikon D500 + Nikkor 70-200mm ƒ2.8G out to photography a building I’m intimately familiar with. 

A photographer colleague of mine said, “You’re doing some really impressive work. This Geometry series is like you’re taking photos and making them into graphic design.” For the record, and I always stress this because people question it always, there is no Photoshop, Illustrator, vector graphics, etc. Geometry series is minimally processed in Photos on a Mac—it’s all exposure and timing.

Photography is seeing common things differently and capturing one’s vision like no one else can.

Waves, shot on Nikon D500.

Waves, Chicago, 2018

Dedicated to Michael.

Geometry — September 2018

Blocks, Chicago 2018

Since 2015, I’ve been working on a photography project around architecture—black and white, high contrast, geometric photography, or as some said, making photographs look almost like vector graphics. Those who follow this project know it is a bit challenging because, one, the buildings must be a a certain albedo. Two, they must also have certain design characteristics. And, three, the weather must be just right.

The past month i’ve had some time to work on the further here in Chicago. I’m pleased to share these images with you.

Irregular 2

Pick

Links

Rombi

Split

Bolt

8-bit

As this series goes, it is almost entirely from buildings here in Chicago. While there are plenty of structures here and Chicago is one of the architectural capitals of the world, I’ll eventually run short on buildings that fit this project.

It is time for me to branch out into other locations. Where should I go next?

View more of Geometry Series

Top 5 Pieces of Gear Every Photographer Must Have

Sorry, I got you to click. It is a clickbait title but bear with me for a moment.  

I read a lot of technology articles and a lot of them are about photography or cinematic gear. I’m the first to admit I LOVE new gadgets and gear but I also am very pragmatic about what is needed versus what is wanted. I will spend good money for good gear but I'm also a huge fan of doing a lot with less.

A lot of articles about photo gear are all “you need this to be a photographer” or whatever... blah, blah, blah.

So here is my list:

1. Camera
2. Lens
3. Memory card or film
4. Tripod  
5. Lens cleaner

That’s it. Don’t be duped by people telling you that your camera is not good enough or your lens is bad or whatever. Go out and shoot. If you said, "Adrian, I have $500 and want to be a photographer," I'd say, "you can get everything above."

1. Nikon D3100 — $239
2. Nikon 35mm f1.8g DX— $166
3. Sandisk 16GB SD Card — $11
4. Polaroid 42" Travel Tripod — $17
5. Zeiss Lens Cleaner Kit — $30

A grand total of $463. It may not be superlative gear but you’ll be photographing. And that’s more than can be said about a lot of gear reviewing and blogging clowns. Check out a few examples of photographs taken with the Nikon D3100 and Nikon 35mm DX lens.

Adrian's Life Rule #56: Go out and shoot.