The Whole Bean AKA Cloud Gate

The Whole Bean

The Whole Bean ©2012 Bo Mackison

Cloud Gate

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park. The sculpture is constructed using hundreds of sheets of stainless steel, but the exterior has no visible seams. As seen in the photo, it is a wildly popular attraction for visitors – Chicagoan and tourist – all with some form of camera for this super-fun photo-op.

I saw DSLRs, point and shoots, even a couple of iPads as camera, but most plentiful were the phone cameras held aloft by almost everyone.

I walked around the sculpture, and I had to take the requisite number of photos, including ones with the city backdrop of skyscrapers as the sun was setting, ones with the skyscrapers reflected on The Bean’s surface, a few more when the city streetlights popped on, and a couple with a tiny crescent moon in the background.

But I forgot to bring my evening dress including date in white evening coat, or my sixteen member bridal party, or my teeny-tiny Halloween costume. I’ll have to be satisfied with my photo in faded jeans and a Packers tee-shirt.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.

She recently returned from a week at the Filter Photo Festival in Chicago. A week filled with workshops, lectures, gallery walks, portfolio reviews, and a photo-walk to Millennium Park to say hello to The Bean.

Hotel Living

Closet

Closet ©2012 Bo Mackison

Shower

Shower ©2012 Bo Mackison

Towels

Towels ©2012 Bo Mackison

Waste Basket

Metal and Paper ©2012 Bo Mackison

More Comfortable

Getting Comfortable ©2012 Bo Mackison

Pillows

Pillows ©2012 Bo Mackison

Curtains

Curtains ©2012 Bo Mackison

Chair

Chair ©2012 Bo Mackison

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.

On Printing House Row in Chicago

Doors on Printer's Row

Doors on Pontiac Building ©2012 Bo Mackison

It feels appropriate that while I am at a photographers convention in downtown Chicago, my hotel and many of the buildings within sight of my destination are part of the Printing House Row Historic District. It isn’t that much of a stretch to connect the early days of newspaper and book printing with the printing of photographs.

I’ve taken just a few photographs. All day workshops and lectures in the evening limit my ability to get out there for a long shoot, though I am anticipating some camera time this weekend. I’ve done my homework and know which of the nearby buildings have historical merit. I did a few morning shots just as the sun was peeking over Lake Michigan, and again when the sun lit some of the buildings.

And I’ve discovered a favorite haunting grounds from my college days, just in a new location. I spent more than a few evenings, studying gross anatomy while munching on Gino’s East pizza.

I’ll post about the conference after I’ve had time to pull my notes together into more cohesive ramblings! And check out the building on Printing House Row.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  She is attending the Filter Photo Festival in Chicago the week of October 15.  My take on this marvelous conference and learning experience coming soon.

The Bliss of Falling Leaves

Falling Leaves

Falling Leaves ©2012 Bo Mackison

Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering to the ground. ~ Emily Bronte

Falling Leaves

This has been a wonderfully bright and colorful autumn. The trees held tightly to their leaves longer than usual, giving me plenty of opportunity and  time to photograph autumn color before all of the falling leaves left only bare branches.

I have always had a special affinity with autumn, loving the trees and their layers of colors, loving the crisp, cool evenings in fall after a summer of sticky, humid nights, even loving the annual raking event we always had on a weekend in late October.

Blog Anniversary Winner

I celebrated the 5th anniversary of Seeded Earth Studio’s blog a few days ago, and offered a give away, a photograph, to one of my blog visitors who left a comment on the blog birthday post.  I said I would pick and announce the winner on my birthday, and so the day has come. There were 20 comments. I used a random number generator from the internet to choose a number.

And that number is: #10.

Counting the comments, the winner is #10 — ta-da — Susan Vial.

Congratulations, Susan. I’ll be contacting you very soon, as soon as I return from my Chicago Adventure! Sweet!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  She is attending the Filter Photo Festival in Chicago the week of October 15.  Bo will be blogging about her conference experience – workshops, lecture series, gallery walks, portfolio reviews, and much more. 🙂

Blue Skies, Yellow Trees

Autumn Trail ©2012 Bo Mackison

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” ~ George Eliot

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.