Keeping It Simple

chimney abstract
Originally uploaded by mfophotos.

When I am out shooting, it's great to be walking around somewhere, even if it IS winter in Marquette. I was there last week as we travelled to the UP to get Marjorie for "Spring" break. I had a morning to kill, so Adrienne and I drove to several spots along the shoreline in and outside the city. The wind was brisk, and even though the real temp. was not below 25 deg. F., the wind chill was brisk. It was not the time to be running about with a bunch of toy cams and lenses! So, I had my Nikon N80 with a 50mm 1.8 lens. That's my idea of simple, I suppose, though it could just as easily have been a Nikon FM and a 50mm lens. I decided that I was going to shoot TechPan that day, as the film's tonality would be great for these winter scenes, and the lack of grain will later provide me with the ability to make decent-sized enlargements. With an ISO of 25, it is a good choice for a bright cloudy day in the winter...even in Marquette.

The second part of "Keeping It Simple" is finding good graphic elements that are strong, yet have detail, such as this chimney coming out the end of a quonset hut next to Thill's Fish Market in Marquette near the lake. As soon as I saw this in my viewfinder, I knew it was a keeper.