Madtown Monday

During PhotoMidwest's Fall Festival in Madison, two of my photographs were in separate shows with different closing dates. Ralph Russo, who made arrangements for both shows, graciously agreed to bring my picture from the first show to the pickup date for the second so I didn't have to drive over twice. I volunteered to help take down the show.

I've taken pictures along State Street, which runs from the Capitol to the University, several times, but in grab-as-you-can 35mm mode, with others along with me. This would be a good opportunity to just look for photographs. The EyePA 30 was still on the kitchen table. Another roll of HP5 went into it.

It was an impressively dark overcast day with absolutely diffuse light from the sky. I've been complaining about that a lot lately, haven't I?

The Triangle Market was there the first time I was in Madison in 1967. 

State Street Brats is another institution I remember always being here. 

Ethnic restaurants used to be pretty rare elsewhere in Wisconsin. The Mediterranean Cafe, or maybe with a slightly different name, was a regular restaurant with fresh ingredients and reasonable portions. Once inside, I realized it was now another order-at-the-counter place with about four things on the menu. The falafel was good, but instead of a pita, it was in a tortilla I'm sure came from a grocery store. Nobody even looked up at the camera on the tripod on my table.

This lighting display in the Overture Center lobby had to be inspired by a beam from an alien ship. I chose to bring along the 90° EyePA 30 to take this picture.

The stairwell in the Overture Center

Just down the hall from the exhibit is a small seating area across from the Playhouse Theatre, subtly but dimly lit on a Monday morning. Unfortunately, I inadvertently opened both shutters for an over and under double exposure, but some folks enjoy this sort of thing.

After taking down the show, the cavernous freight elevator lobby was on my way out.

With Fox Valley colleague Mike Burman's motto, "Bad weather makes good photographs," echoing in my head, I dropped the pictures off in the car and went back out in the rain which had been added to the gloom. I didn't have to be as careful to stay out of pedestrians' way.

The Western District of Wisconsin Federal Courthouse.

Brutalism became very popular about the time of the Vietnam War protests and I first heard the style referred to as "riot renaissance."

The corner of the Madison Public Library sharpened by the wide-angle camera.

Looking down Fairchild Street from a block away, I didn't recognize this turret on the corner. I must have gone passed it walking down State hundreds of times.

A window display in what is the capital of the Dairy State after all.

The EyePA 30 has two .23mm hand-drilled pinholes, on the axis and 11mm above it, 30mm from a 6x6cm frame. The film is Ilford HP5 semistand developed in Rodinal 1:100. The Mod Podge on the camera survived several minute exposures in the rain.