I started my staycation with a walk through the Lurie Garden in Millennium Park - had never actually walked through the garden before. It's simply lovely and in the height of summer, when everything is in bloom, I bet it's a real stunner! It's so interesting to be surrounded by these prairie grasses, wildflowers and tall trees and then just over the top of them are these huge skyscrapers. Wonderful balance! 
worlds largest camera
Last weekend I made my way over to see the worlds largest camera - currently sitting in 2 N Riverside Plaza as part of the art installation "Butterflies & Buffalo: Tales of American Culture. Let me just say it's AMAZING! The camera is crazy big and beautiful and the photo output incredible! Really amazing detail for prints of this size. I cannot wait to see how this project comes together!
Want to know a little more? Check out their video on Vimeo!
Butterflies & Buffalo: Tales of American Culture from Butterflies & Buffalo on Vimeo.
chicago clickin walk
(see mobile pics here)
Processed the "big camera" photos today so I could get everything posted on the Clickin Mom's forum - my first posts to the forums (eek!). A few others have posted and I'm really enjoying seeing everyone's take on Chicago's architecture! The crazy ones to see are the camera phone pics - we all walked the same streets and with all the different apps and filters, very few look the same. So much fun! 
Here are a few of the ladies in action at Union Station! 
trampoline time
Spent last Saturday in Chesterton with the Pittmans. We took in the European Market, the Popcorn Fest over in Valpo and a little quality time in the back yard jumping on the trampoline and snapping a few photos. Let me tell you, it's a challenge to focus on a moving object when you are moving too! I couldn't believe how comfortable Sloane was on the trampoline - running, jumping, summer salts - so stinkin' cute! Oh and that hair, OMG that hair! Hello static! 
This photo says it all ... Fun! Fun! Fun! And a little out of focus... oh well still my fav!
headshot : pittman
I would not consider myself a portrait photographer, but now and then I will make an exception to shoot friends and family. I give huge props to photographers who photograph people for a living! It is enormously difficult to get a natural face and smile out of someone ... even when you know them really well. I snapped a few of Jeff over the weekend and got a few I think will fit the bill for his professional needs. Well, maybe not the laughing shot, but that is the most genuine shot from the series, so I had to share that one too.
beach bum
I have become a real beach bum this summer... dunno why, but I am glad I am finally taking advantage my proximity to the beach. I especially love it when the wind is coming in over the lake, makes waves that look and sound like the ocean. It's a really great "second" if you know what I mean... 
beautiful day @ the botanic garden
So, I am not a huge flower person... but I do love the Chicago Botanic Garden. Marcey and I met the Robinson's there to spend the most lovely day wandering the different gardens. There was so much in bloom - pretty much everything looked great except for the roses, they were just past their time. I really think I should try to make it up there once each season. Next up would be Fall foliage ... putting that on the calendar now! Till then, enjoy some pretty flowers!
Oh and I almost forgot about the crazy lilly pads! That may have been Elliot's favorite of the day...
saint louis art museum
A few weeks ago I was in St. Louis visiting my friend Jennifer where we spent the day taking a few of the touristy things I had not done on previous trips. First up was the Saint Louis Art Museum. They have this beautiful new wing that was just added and house a pretty darn good collection of art!
Funny thing when I was telling someone I had been there, they commented on how bad the signage was... Well you know that made my ears perk up. Come to find out, not the wayfinding signage, but the information about the works of art. They are very low contrast and are often on backgrounds that match the paint color of the wall. Now, I know this is because they want to keep from distracting from the art, but it does pose a problem for legibility. Jennifer and I had spotted magnifying glasses in each of the rooms and thought it was funny ... guess we know what we were supposed to use those for now huh..
10 on 10 { aug 2013 }
It's the tenth of the month and that means ten photos in ten hours!! I love this challenge - gets me out and about with the camera to find beauty in my day. And I really love it when the tenth falls on a weekend! Woot! 
Visited the hair salon this morning - aren't these foils just the most attractive thing? I wanted to get a better photo, but the salon was busy and people were looking at me strange trying to take a photo with my iPhone of my foils. I'm sure they were like wtf? :)
Ran a bunch of errands - picking up the necessary supplies for my last Ravinia show tomorrow.
Whipped up a batch of my famous roasted almonds. They are the easiest things to make and a huge hit! If you like almonds, you need this recipe!
2 c. sliced almonds 1/4 c. sugar 1/16 c. water salt (I use pink himalayan)
Combine sugar and water - basically making a simple syrup - in a microwave save bowl or cup. Microwave for 1 minute or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over almonds and quickly stir. (The syrup should be just enough to coat the almonds - you do not want any liquid standing the bottom of the bowl). Evenly spread on non-stick cookie sheet and generously sprinkle salt across top. Bake at 325 stirring every 10 minutes until golden. (30-40 min depending on your oven). Enjoy!
And then decided to whip up French Macarons too! I'm just a domestic diva today!! I found a new recipe (here) that worked beautifully should you wish to give them a try. They are the fussiest cookies I've ever made, but SO worth it! I'll whip up some salted caramel and chocolate ganache to fill these babies in the morning!
Hope you had a beautiful day! Thanks for stopping by.
work peeps
I had to bring the camera to work today to get some head shots of a few of my coworkers. I was not at all "on my game" ... was kind of rushed and haphazardly shooting. I got what we needed, but as I was editing the images out of the camera I was feeling like these faces look a little different to me. You know when you see someone every day, you don't notice the little things? We discovered Marcey (bottom) has a lazy eye, so I had to swing her to the other side so that didn't seem so obvious. I love capturing people, but in their natural state - portraits just put people in this completely unnatural smile. I hate that fakey smile. 
I did get one photo of Brad that completely captures who he is. It is the perfect photo of how I see him. That's a rare photo to get!! If you can't tell, he's kind of a smart ass, but in that genuine, funny kind of way. This is a 'look' we see quite a lot!