Cameron Swinton's Blog

Albion Basin

Cameron — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:55:48 +0000

While visiting Utah in August I had a chance to spend a few hours taking photos around the Albion Basin up Little Cottonwood Canyon. The weather was beautiful. I had fun playing with my new Zeiss 21mm lens and it didn’t disappoint. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

View them in the gallery

Lightning Over Salt Lake City

Cameron — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:33:13 +0000

My brother and I setup our gear to capture some nice sunset photos over the Salt Lake Valley. Instead, the clouds gathered and I was able to get this shot – not what we expected, but sometimes the best shots aren’t the ones you plan on getting.

Eyes of a child

Cameron — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 02:55:41 +0000

Yesterday I saw my son sitting at the table looking pensive with his head in his arms. I quietly grabbed my camera and he glanced up at me as I was taking the shot. Candid shots like this are so precious – it captures a quiet side of him that a studio shoot will never reveal. I wonder what thoughts were swirling around inside his head?

Chicago’s Cloud Gate – “The Bean”

Cameron — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:30:32 +0000

On a recent trip to Chicago I passed through Millenium Park at two different times of day to capture some shots of the Cloud Gate sculpture, better known as “The Bean”. The first shot is an HDR composite of 3 exposures – with the bright sky the dynamic range of the scene was too large for a single exposure. The second is a long (~8 second) exposure taken just after sunset.

Click the photos for larger versions. Thanks for looking!

Fall Ends and Winter Begins in Utah Canyons

Cameron — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:45:35 +0000

I visited family in Utah at the end of October and took an afternoon to head up the to the mountains and snap some pics. I’ve lived in the midwest for the past 10 years and I REALLY miss the mountains – it felt great to be back there!
Most of these were shot near Guardsman Pass. My brother was driving his Jeep which was the only reason we didn’t get stuck in the snow more than once…

Weekend stroll on Millcreek Streamway Park Trail

Cameron — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:02:39 +0000

Last weekend I went out to shoot some photos along Millcreek Streamway Park Trail – usually I’m zipping along the trail on my bike, so this was a nice change of pace.

Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

Cameron — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 02:41:13 +0000

While in Chicago this summer I spent some time photographing around the Museum of Science and Industry. I had recently read The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (thanks for the recommendation Derek) and wanted to explore the area around where the World’s Columbian Expedition was held in 1893. The following image is an HDR (high dynamic range) composite. I’m not one that loves over-done HDR shots, but I wasn’t going for “realistic” on this one. I wanted to convey a bit of the “fantastical” feeling that must have surrounded the fair. If you like the image, click on it to view a large version – you can then click the facebook “like” button above the photo.

Chicago Skyline Sunset from Promontory Point

Cameron — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:53:44 +0000

While in Chicago this summer I spent an evening watching the sunset from Promontory Point. The view of the skyline was great. I’ll share some more shots from Chicago in the coming days. The shot is a stitched panorama of 6 images.

Project 365 – too little time…

Cameron — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:18:01 +0000

Well, it happened. Life got too busy for me to keep up with the daily photo. It has become more of a burden than inspiration as my schedule has become more packed, so I’m going to let it go for a while. Don’t worry, I’m still going to post photos but perhaps only a few days per week instead of daily. I have quite a few great ones I’ve taken over the past month that I haven’t had time to sort through and process yet, but I’ll get them up soon!

Day 119 – Eerie Calm Before the Storm

Cameron — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 04:34:00 +0000

This shot captures that feeling right before a big midwest storm… For those that are interested, this is an HDR shot (used 3 exposures 2-stops apart)