Chicago is Enticing

Take your camera to Chicago in the good old summertime and you will be rewarded with a shot around every corner or bend in the river. We will be heading in for another trip next week so I felt some pressure to get the last round of shots culled and stored. A short gallery follows, but if you need more, you can see all the pictures from the Chicago Architecture Foundation's river tour, the new Modern Wing at the Art Institute, a trip to Wrigley, a party at the Greek Islands, and some skyline and lakefront pyrotechnics at my Flikr site.


Jim and Jan arrive from rural Monmouth to marvel at the sights.


The new Trump Tower is pretty impressive.


The Cubs lost but the beerman batted a thousand.

Obama gazes down at the children playing in the fountains at Millennium Park

As the day slipped into twilight, we sipped martinis and feasted on the view at Carolyn and Gordon's condo.

Lots more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/83918664@N00/

De Young's Panama City Photo Wins At Security Savings Photo Show

The best of category in the Landscape Division at the Security Savings Photo Show was won by yours truly, Jim De Young, this year. All the entrants are currently on display at the Buchanan Center for the Arts in downtown Monmouth thru August 15th. The photo, which you can see below, was taken on a foggy morning in January 2009 as we approached Panama City, Panama on our way to enter the Panama Canal. It was an eerie signt as the skyscrapers began to grow taller and taller out on the horizon. They did not look real, but they were. It seemed like a kind of magic cityscape.

The skyline looked a bit more prosaic in the sunny land based shot below. Part of the surprise I guess was that we had been cruising down the Costa Rican and Panamanian coast for several days and experienced little but jungle greenery. Then all of a sudden there were these gleaming white Wizard of Oz towers.

Clearly the positioning of the ships added to the ambiance of the winner, but I had another option for the contest and it is equally compelling and mysterious. Some folks thought this one was even better.

You choose.

Area Photographer to Speak at OFTA

Kent Kriegshauser, currently a staff photographer for the Galesburg Register Mail, will address OFTA (Old Friends Talk Arts) on Wednesday morning July 8th at 10:00 a.m. at the Buchanan Center for the Arts in Monmouth, IL.

He is a well known area photo-journalist and has worked for the Macomb Daily Journal and a number of Chicago area papers. His photographic work has received awards at the Galesburg Civic Art Center, the Buchanan Center, the Illinois Press Association, and the Illinois Associated Press Editors Association.

Kriegshauser’s topic on July 8th will be “What Makes a Prize Winning Photo?” and he will also be answering questions on the life of a news photographer. His visit coincides with his appointment as the judge for The annual “Security Savings Amateur Photography Show” opening on Friday, July 10th at the Buchanan Center.

OFTA (Old Friends talk Arts) has presented arts related programming to the residents of Warren, Knox, and Henderson Counties for over six years. Its service focus is primarily on seniors, but it is free for all citizens who have time during the day. OFTA meets regularly at the Buchanan Center for the Arts in Monmouth, IL at 10:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. You can be placed on their e-mail notification list by sending a request to jdeyoung@maplecity.com