Alma Mater
by Chipka
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Description
When I purchased my new camera, it took a day longer than expected in order to actually use it in any substantial way. As it’s a Canon, like its predecessor, I didn’t need to learn a new set of ins-and-outs, but I did have to charge its battery. Unlike the older über-durable model (it still works, sometimes,) two double-A batteries are not a sufficient power supply. Thankfully, the camera in question came with its own (uncharged) battery and its own (strangely compact) charger. I had to go home, charge the battery, and then hope for sunny weather the following day.
Sunny weather did not come. This didn’t deter me, however; poor lighting conditions are a challenge to good photographs, but not a complete threat to them. I managed a number of good photos on the day in question. Because sunny weather hadn’t been shuffled into the cards for that day, I decided to take advantage of the unctuous, overcast skies. There are places in Chicago in which this is possible. When one enters the Loop, it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny or not. The Loop exists within the depths of a cavernous labyrinth of skyscrapers, alleys, and elevated train tracks. Everything is given a shadowy, gray wash, liberally punctuated by splatters of pigeon-output. As night falls and business goes into hibernation mode, the city’s rats begin their incessant scurries.
I wasn’t interested in photographing Chicago rats; it’s isn’t good for PR, and it wasn't so good a day for pigeons, either; so in my Loop-bound wanders, I found that I’d ambled relatively far south. I skirted the darker, grayer, more pigeon-enhanced (yet oddly pigeon-less) regions of the region, and found myself within hailing distance of Columbia College, Chicago: my Alma Mater. I approached my old haunts, surprised at how the only changes in the area were little changes. The dinky-little fast food joint run by the Greek guy with the toupee has been replaced by a parking garage, and the dinky-little fast food joint (run by the Greek guy with the toupee) occupies the spot of a former greasy-spoon diner. It’s been gentrified, albeit on a scale friendly to Liberal Arts students.
The student body remains largely unchanged. The faces are different, of course, as are the ambient fashions, but the memetic core of the student body is consistent; it is—if anything—a bit more refined, a bit more confident of itself, and less-encumbered by late 1980s fashion. (Blue and pink hair, tattoos and pseudo-tribal piercings are now the norm among mainstream young people in Chicago, and so now I wonder what the more outré youth uses as its means of self-expression: slide rules and pocket computers might be nice, but I somehow doubt that.)
There was actually very little to photograph on the day that I visited Columbia, and another photo of that day has already found itself in my gallery. It was a good day for photographs, nonetheless, and I was amazed, in looking back, at the number of times I’d walked by (and even visited) the Columbia College main campus, while never managing to capture it, photographically. On March 18, 2015, I rectified that situation: and the image you’ve seen here is the end result.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re having a great week.
Comments (14)
Faemike55
Actually very interesting narrative and photo. we get a new toy and can't wait to try it out only to find out that the weather says that maybe we should wait. we look at the weather say, 'The hell with you! I'll take the pictures I want, the weather be damned!' this photo is cool in that it seems that we live in a land that casts no shadows - in that note, Plato would be at a loss.... BTW - Very cool capture
durleybeachbum
Yes, I too wonder what outré youth does. Streams of mostly normal looking students pass my gate daily, and my art student lodgers are disturbingly conventional, so this remains largely a mystery.
Wolfenshire
My Alma Mater has moved across town to a fancy new campus, but I can't help staring at the now dirt lot that holds the ghosts of so many memories. Fantastic narrative and photo.
kgb224
Amazing capture my friend. God bless.
jendellas
Great capture & muse. xx
blinkings
LOL rats are everywhere I think. I live at the beach in a rather 'snooty' area, and I often see massive rats sunning themselves on the sand!
NefariousDrO
I like the shot with people walking by the posters, the "pseudo-humans" and the "reality-humans" have a strange kind of coexistence. I can't help but think that this shot would actually be more difficult if that sunlight you were originally hoping for was there: the glares and reflections would disrupt the posters. Then again, that would make the shot interesting in a different way.
netot
Is funny, i'm a photographer and only have two photos of my days as student! Great narrative, Chip, and I love the way you handled the low light and made a great photography.
giulband
Very very expressive photo's composition !!!
helanker
And you maneged to get a really excellent shot, dispite the lack of sunshine and I agree with NefariousDrO, that it might not have been as good, had the sun been shining. :)
flavia49
wonderful
MrsRatbag
I like this shot, it has a feeling of movement and energy...well done!
wysiwig
Interesting mix of photo and real. The people move left and right across your lens and are gone as if they never existed while the photo gallery has a sort of permanence the real people lack. Or something like that.
anahata.c
street photography at its best, with those bold face-photos in the background, all looking out (with one exception) with engagement with the world...and contrasted with 3 walkers, utterly disconnected to those big faces, walking at 3 different depth-levels in the pic. And spaced with beautiful randomness. You couldn't have done better if you'd put them there yourself. And it's all topped off with the bright white letters of the college. It's just terrific shooting, Chip, another piece I thought I'd commented on because I saw it several times. Telepathy would be nice some days, esp when one leaves long comments...I'd be sure my comment got "sent" even when I was tired. Anyway, masterful. Hard to say more as it says it all itself. Really fine street shooting! (And your mentioning the exact date reminds me of Corey...)