UofC's Architecture

My attempt at capturing UChicago's evolving architecture. Here the old Gothic buildings are reflected onto a contemporary structure.

Machines

My attempt at photographing my "White Elephant" Christmas Present

My Photography Gear

This summer I bought a DSLR, and used manual lenses for a total cost of less than $400. I am learning SLR photography and enjoying it. I almost always use the Pentax-M f/1.4 50mm lens, which I bought for $44 on eBay.

Reflection

Our lab was located inside this building until last year.
Erman Building and Botany pond
11/24/06

Windows

Windows can be interesting subjects for photographs. When the window pane glass has been washed with rainwater, giving it a translucent quality, the view through the window looks like a painting. The more the transparency of the glass pane is reduced, the more abstract and interesting the view becomes.
I was in Galena for our departmental retreat last weekend and I took this photograph out of my townhouse window at the Eagle Ridge Inn Resort.

Portrait Photography

Making portraits can be both easier and harder than photographing nature. It is easier in the sense that one can play with the lighting in a studio setting, whereas in nature one has to make do with whatever lighting is available. It is harder in the sense that almost everything depends on the photographer (so there is no one else to blame if photographs turn out to be less than satisfactory).

Photographing people can be very interesting because the photographer has to interact with the subject. Photographing people interests me more than any other forms of photography.
A couple of weeks ago I took several snapshots of a friend of mine and here are a couple of images that came out of the photoshoot.

UNC Chapel Hill

On the last week of September, I had to scramble to UNC Chapel Hill for a work related visit. The UNC Chapel Hill campus is beautiful and lively. Surprisingly, I could hardly hear anyone talking with a southern accent.
This photograph shows a landmark on campus. The dome at the center houses a water fountain from where the students drink water before gradauting as part of a tradition. Interestingly, I learned that UNC is the oldest state university in the United States.

Street Photography

We were driving up north to Vietnamese Town for lunch after which we were supposed to head further north to attend the Nepali Conference near O'Hare. As we drove down Michigan Ave to give Uttam (my buddy from high school, currently a gradute student in St. Paul, MN) a quick tour of Chicago, I saw this scene unfolding. I took a few quick snapshots from inside the car before the traffic lights turned green.