Photography

March — A Year in Photographs — Macro /  by Adrian Galli

Hibiscus Stigma — Day 60

Macro photography is some of the most fun you’ll have with your camera and lens. Seeing the things of the world through the perspective of a macro lens reveals details and an adventure one can’t see with the human eye alone.

While many photographers like shooting with natural light, being able to control and create the conditions of excellent lighting nearly always enhance the photographic subject. In macro photography, it is virtually a law of nature that you’ll need lighting. Shooting at an ƒ16 or ƒ22 any creature that moves or a flower in the breeze will almost certainly give you a blurry or muddy photo.

March is a long month and lighting is an exercise I love to enjoy. Macro photography is also something one can do at home, in the wild, or in one’s own backyard. While I move onto April and into another favorite subject, architecture, I sadly leave behind a month of macro photography.

Shot on FujiFilm X-T5 with the Fujinon 80mm ƒ2.8 Macro lens.

Featured
Celery Root — Day 90
Celery Root — Day 90
Parsley — Day 89
Parsley — Day 89
Corn on the Cob — Day 88
Corn on the Cob — Day 88
Artichoke — Day 87
Artichoke — Day 87
Sumo Orange — Day 86
Sumo Orange — Day 86
Asparagus — Day 85
Asparagus — Day 85
Garlic — Day 84
Garlic — Day 84
Yellow Squash — Day 83
Yellow Squash — Day 83
Galia Melon — Day 82
Galia Melon — Day 82
Star Fruit — Day 81
Star Fruit — Day 81
Tomato — Day 80
Tomato — Day 80
Lemon Glow — Day 79
Lemon Glow — Day 79
Bananas — Day 78
Bananas — Day 78
Yellow Dragon Fruit — Day 77
Yellow Dragon Fruit — Day 77
Orchid — Day 76
Orchid — Day 76
Flamin' Hot Cheetos — Day 75
Flamin' Hot Cheetos — Day 75
5488 — Day 74
5488 — Day 74
Signs of Spring — Day 73
Signs of Spring — Day 73
Lava Orange — Day 72
Lava Orange — Day 72
Kiwi — Day 71
Kiwi — Day 71
Metal — Day 70
Metal — Day 70
Wood Grain — Day 69
Wood Grain — Day 69
Olli — Day 68
Olli — Day 68
Heirloom — Day 67
Heirloom — Day 67
Helix — Day 66
Helix — Day 66
Sago Palm — Day 65
Sago Palm — Day 65
Rusted — Day 64
Rusted — Day 64
Florida Box Turtle — Day 63
Florida Box Turtle — Day 63
Frond — Day 62
Frond — Day 62
Droplet — Day 61
Droplet — Day 61

February — A Year in Photographs — Minimalism /  by Adrian Galli

Minimalism is one of my favorite photographic styles, philosophies, design methodologies, lifestyle, and anyone who knows me would agree that I seek it as one seeks water and food.

Perhaps it is misunderstood, however, that minimalism is boring, stagnant, clinical, or bland. Far from it. Minimalism is the approach to perfection.

 
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupér
 

I chose this theme for February because I journeyed to Joshua Tree early in the month and thinking it would be easy to find minimalism in the desert landscapes but found I was wrong. It was a significant challenge — and in fact, minimalism is always a challenge. Having nothing left to take away sounds like very small and very simple task but the irony is achieving minimalism is quite complex.

Featured
Bars — Day 59
Bars — Day 59
Two Light — Day 58
Two Light — Day 58
The One, the Sun, and the Lake — Day 57
The One, the Sun, and the Lake — Day 57
Lamppost — Day 56
Lamppost — Day 56
Reebok — Day 55
Reebok — Day 55
Clouds Descend — Day 54
Clouds Descend — Day 54
The Two Towers — Day 53
The Two Towers — Day 53
Drive Thru — Day 52
Drive Thru — Day 52
The Harbor — Day 51
The Harbor — Day 51
The Lobby — Day 50
The Lobby — Day 50
Backpack — Day 49
Backpack — Day 49
Wrigley Silhouette — Day 48
Wrigley Silhouette — Day 48
Skybridge — Day 47
Skybridge — Day 47
Eyes in the Dark — Day 46
Eyes in the Dark — Day 46
Grid and Grate — Day 45
Grid and Grate — Day 45
Chicago Fire Department — Day 44
Chicago Fire Department — Day 44
Break Glass — Day 43
Break Glass — Day 43
Parking — Day 42
Parking — Day 42
Red Car — Day 41
Red Car — Day 41
Red Leggings — Day 40
Red Leggings — Day 40
Waiting — Day 39
Waiting — Day 39
Scimitar — Day 38
Scimitar — Day 38
Stencil — Day 37
Stencil — Day 37
Peak — Day 36
Peak — Day 36
Cactus — Day 35
Cactus — Day 35
Dead Tree — Day 34
Dead Tree — Day 34
Motel 6 — Day 33
Motel 6 — Day 33
Crisscross — Day 32
Crisscross — Day 32

Joshua Tree 2023 /  by Adrian Galli

A spiritual place, some call it, quiet, peaceful, astonishing, beautiful, Joshua Tree is a one-of-a-kind region on Earth. Some friends and I took a trip to this amazing location and took a journey that one much experience.

Starting in Las Vegas, and a little fun at the casinos, we drove to Joshua Tree via the Mojave Desert but not before we stopped and hiked in Red Rock Canyon. Quite different from Joshua Tree, there was a serene quietness in the valley.

Quiet in Chicago is still noisy. Quiet in most places still has a buzz — a water heater, the sound of a distant car, wind whistling over a roof. But in Red Rock Canyon, there is nothing but the sound of silence. Perhaps one might hear a stone tumble down a distant rock face or a breeze rustle the branches of a tree but stand still for only a moment is one will know for a moment how quiet the Earth can be.

It is addictive — to stand in stillness, surrounded by quiet creatures, and awash in silence.

A premonition of things to come, we continued the journey south through the Mojave. There are a few obligatory stops along the way. The highway itself is unique—a single vector through a sloping desert. Mountains in the distance, shrubs and cacti nearby, and sometime the Moon makes its appearance in the sky like one might see standing on an alien world.

As we approached Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, the greetings of anticipation of a new adventure was in the air. There is a feeling like one might get standing outside an amusement park waiting to get in. Lights, sounds, shops, and cars scatter the landscape.

But this is all temporary. As we journeyed into the park, the entrance was like a portal to somewhere else. The silence and alien world returns, cellular signal diminishes, and the rest of the world seems distance. Even the passage of time seems to change. Time no longer mattered as we made our way through the Joshua Tree.

Our travels took us to Palm Springs for our departure back to Chicago but not before we enjoyed the quirky mid-century modern, futuristic town and some of the local outdoor adventures.

While we were only there for a few days, it is no doubt a place I will surely return. Having grown up in Cincinnati, with some decent hiking nearby, I had forgotten how much I loved and missed hiking, and being around nature. Chicago has beautiful outdoor amenities but is also very flat. One must travel hours to get to any hiking but even then, what we call a hill here is a bump to those out in the western states.

These are but a few photos of the journey. While there we visited the Cascade Trails Mustang Sanctuary, which is highly recommended and nearby, and Joshua Tree lends itself to some stunning black and white landscape photography, should you find yourself asking where your next outdoor adventure might be, Joshua Tree might be the right place to be.

2023 is still young and more adventures to come. What national park or other hiking spot would you recommend a visit to next?