eScapes Photo's photostream  

Thanks to climate change and La Nina - this is NOT a picture of winter in Illinois this year. Here on January 30, it was a mild 53 degrees. Felt downright summer-like. Part of me loves this - I don't own a snow blower. Part of me misses the pretty snow. I think I could happily linger with an inch or two of fresh snow - and temps around 28 degrees. But I want to stop there. I guess I could come to terms with these mild winters - but I know that's a fools' errand in the long run.

With that said, I wanted you to remember what winter looks like down here on the farms of Central Illinois. Silos and Snow - in black and white - takes me back to late, late December of 2009 when I snapped this photo at the Tremont Grain Co-Op #1 in 'ol Tremont, IL. Feels kinda filmy to me - but shot on the also 'ol D300. I think I was frozen at the time - so camera shake wasn't gonna happen. Instant sharpness.

To get you desktop calendar for February, head over to the Central Illinois Photoblog (in a few minutes) and sign up for one of seven beloved and favorite sizes. Then head back to the beach life here in Central Illinois. Surfs up dude!

Go bigger.

Another opening, another show. Headshots for Students on Stage 39 at NCHS. Hands as frames. Go.

Say hello to Anna, Jacqui, Jake, Katelyn, Mary Kate, Jeff, and Harrison. There are many more - participating in student-written, student-directed, student-acted one acts, Feb. 2,3,4 at Normal Community High School in Normal, IL.

Late last year I also photographed the army of marketing geniuses at the Iona Group. That's Chad Udell on the left and Jim Ferolo on the right. The idea was to play with these two oversized iPhone cutouts in a simulated FaceTime environment. They actually had the blue seamless set-up in house so I just put a 60" umbrealla behind the camera and went to town with about six different people groupings. We had a blast and it was over in about 10 minutes. Had no idea it would be a cover shot but there it is... Also had eight images inside the mag. Not bad for two hours worth of work...

Thanks to Jon Wright, Managing Editor, and Michelle Gray, Art Director, and their crew over at iBi/Peoria Magazines for the assignment and to the the crew at Iona - who took a lot of good-natured ribbing the whole time.

Happy New Year everyone!

We've reached back to 2009 for this - one of the last in The Tree series (aka Tree 56) to start the year off moodily. And to restore sanity - I've placed the calendar object back where it belongs - and will leave it there for at least the next 12 months. You have to try a little every now and then to shake things up before you realize it was a bad idea.

So - at any rate - here's to a great year for you and yours. Now head over to the Central Illinois Calendar server (aka the CI Photoblog) for one of many sizes we produce for y'inz. And don't ask what y'inz means either.

On an early July morning this year, while walking around deserted Mackinac Island, I looked out over the Star Line docks before the first ferry came in. The light of sunrise delighted me.

Merry Christmas y'all.