Fountain of the Tritons

Some might think it difficult to find peace and quiet in a city the size of Chicago. If you know where to look (and when to go) you can find zen moments in the most unexpected of places. Take the Art Institute of Chicago for example. Without a doubt this is one of the busiest tourist attractions in the city and for good reason. By taking advantage of the Fall-Winter-Spring seasons you can spend intimate time with the artwork and the space itself. This is a photograph of the Fountain of Tritons which sits in the outdoor patio at the Garden Cafe. Become a member for $80/year and you get unlimited entry for 2 people year round and free coffee in the Members Lounge. The best $80 I've spent in a long time.


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

Clark St. Bridge at Dusk

Clark Street Bridge -by Carl Sandburg

DUST of the feet
And dust of the wheels,
Wagons and people going,
All day feet and wheels.

Now. . .
. . Only stars and mist
A lonely policeman,
Two cabaret dancers,
Stars and mist again,
No more feet or wheels,
No more dust and wagons.

     Voices of dollars
     And drops of blood
     . . . . .
     Voices of broken hearts,
     . . Voices singing, singing,
     . . Silver voices, singing,
     Softer than the stars,

     Softer than the mist.


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

The Shoreline of Lake Michigan

I love Chicago. That being said, it's still nice to get away every once in awhile. The West coast of Michigan is usually my go-to when I want to relax for a bit. If you want to feel the serenity of the ocean but you don't want to drop the $300+ for a plane ticket, just head to Michigan. 


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

The Light of Fall

There are few things in this world as inspiring as light. I'd say that people and music are in the Top 10 too. This photo was taken on a day trip to Saugatuck, Michigan. It's amazing how different Lake Michigan looks from Michigan vs. Illinois. Absolutely beautiful. 


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

"Loving Chicago is like loving a woman with a broken nose." -Nelson Algren


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

North Branch

Most of the photos on this blog have been processed in some fashion . . . duh. As I've mentioned before I'm horrible in Photoshop and the only time I ever use it is to correct lens distortion on architectural landscapes. Most often I find myself using a combination of Apple's Aperture and a Nik plugin for Aperture and I've found that to give me most of the results I'm looking for. Occasionally I'll use Photomatix and Hugin for HDR and panoramas. All that said, every once in awhile I'll be fortunate enough to capture lighting that is just perfect and doesn't need any processing. While exploring last weekend I was fortunate enough to find some wonderful lighting. 

Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

Golden Hour

Color 101: Blue and Orange are complimentary colors. What the heck does that mean? This means that they are directly opposite of each other on the color wheel. There's a ton of science behind color and specifically color theory but I'm not looking to bore anyone with information about the psychoanalysis and physics involved in color theory. This photo that was taken during the golden hour near Logan Square. The Golden Hour is the hour or so photographers (and painters) refer to just after sunrise and just before sunset. It is the time of day when the sun's light has a warming effect on everything it touches. The warm colors are warmer and the cool colors are more saturated. It can take the most mundane of subject matter and give it a little more personality and emotion. 

Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission