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PJ Matthews Images, Chicago Photography, Chicago Images, Nature and Wildlife Photography and Images

Galleries

Smaller Birds : Someone once said "Shoot first and ask questions later!" When it comes to Birding, this has become my MO. When I come home with a photo of a bird I've never seen before, I research it to find out what it is. A few years ago, a friend turned me on to all of the varieties of birds that come through the Chicagoland area each year. I never knew we had such a variety of incredible birds here! Yet every one of these images was taken no more than 25 miles from my suburban home. Never seen some of these before? Hey, neither have I! Take a better look...they're out there!

Smaller Birds

Larger Birds : Everyone knows there are Sea Gulls in Chicago, right? But did you know there are several different species of gulls in Illinois? For me, the gulls are fun to shoot in flight. They fly slowly, and are easy targets to get focused on and capture!

Larger Birds

Raptors : For me, the raptors are the "Holy Grail" of my Illinois nature photography. Hawks are very intelligent, and have incredible eyesight. The Red Tail hawk has eyesight that is 8 times better than humans! They seem to see me coming from a distance, and rarely let me get close. The owls in this gallery were all photographed at the same location, and I'd like to thank Sue Fricia of I.B.E.T for helping me find them. They're the first owls I've seen up close, and were very rewarding for me to shoot! The Peregrine Falcons in this gallery are downtown Chicago natives and are seen frequently hunting at Montrose Beach on the lakefront!

Raptors

Eagles : The following Bald Eagle images were taken on February 7th, 2009. I spent the day at Lock & Dam 14 in Iowa, on the banks of the Mississippi River. It was an incredible experience to see these birds flying, fishing, fighting, and eating. And yes, the colors on these are untouched, and exactly as they were that morning! Enjoy the show!! I did!!

Eagles

Deer & Coyote : All of the images in this gallery were shot in completely natural surroundings. There are thousands of acres of woods in the south Chicago suburbs, home to countless deer and coyote.

Deer & Coyote

Egrets & Herons : So far, most of the shots in this gallery are taken at the same place. Lake Katherine is a nature center in Palos Heights, Illinois. It's a large lake with countless different species of birds there throughout different seasons. I found the Great Blue Heron on the west side of the lake, fishing in the shallow water, 2 days in a row. On the second day, I brought my tripod and set up the camera, and began to watch. Once the fish was spotted, it was just a matter of a couple minutes until it was caught and eaten! The Black Capped Night Heron was a rare find, also taken at Lake Katherine.

Egrets & Herons

Duck, Goose, and Swan : When I first started shooting wildlife, the first thing I noticed was the feather detail in other people's images of ducks. I never realized how amazing some of these birds looked up close. As a kid, you throw bread crumbs at them, and never see the real detail & colors they have to offer. As a nature photographer, I have a renewed interest in them. They make for beautiful framed prints, and enhance the decor of a room. They're among the most common of creatures, never having to go far to find one. And once I do, they're usually fairly cooperative. The Wood Ducks are of particular interest to me due to their incredible colors and unique look!

Duck, Goose, and Swan

Butterflies & Dragonflies : This is my only attempt at "almost Macro" photography. After seeing the results, and all of the detail on the face of a butterfly, I can now understand why some hobby photographers shoot bugs at life size. The yellow swallowtails were shot with Canon's 70-200 f/4L IS lens with a 25mm macro adapter attached. This is certainly not true macro, but a fantastic combination for overall image quality!

Butterflies & Dragonflies

Mixed Critters : I know...how cute, right? How can the same guy shoot Falcons and Bucks, and then aim the camera at a little bunny or squirrel? It's exactly that - the cute factor! They're almost irresistable.

Mixed Critters

Mixed Flowers : Thanks for stopping by!

Mixed Flowers

Chicago Architecture & Scenery : Every photographer has a favorite subject. For me, that subject has always been the city. I grew up here, and have been admiring this city's architecture and skylines since I was a kid. I have boxes of old photos shot with Kodak Instamatics, 110 film cameras, and old manual 35mm systems. Chicago is a city that is constantly changing. Buildings go up, their names change, and slowly but surely the city evolves into something new. My goal with these images is to show the very best of Chicago, in what I hope is the most interesting light. A common theme in my city photos is the overall lack of humans. This is by design, and requires some very early morning shooting at times. All images in this gallery are high resolution, and are well suited to large prints! Enjoy!

Chicago Architecture & Scenery

Mixed Images :

Mixed Images

Updated: Jan 17, 2009 11:52am PST

Links

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Updated: Nov 14, 2008 7:24pm PST

Prints

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Updated: Nov 17, 2008 5:49pm PST

Remodeling Projects : Thank you for visiting my Remodeling Projects Gallery. All projects shown were completed in the last couple years by Philbin Construction & Remodeling, where I am a Sales / Project Manager. This is my family's company, and most photos shown are representative of my designs and projects.

Remodeling Projects

Landscape, Scenery, and Abstracts : This is a gallery where I can give a home to some of my more random photos. I typically don't shoot landscapes, mainly because I live in northern Illinois, which is "less than scenic." Every once in a while, I'll see something unique, capture it, and it may end up here.

Landscape, Scenery, and Abstracts

Framed Web Pics : This is a gallery of digitally framed images being used on websites, forums, and other online applications. Feel free to browse this public gallery, but refer to the main galleries for prints of these images.

Framed Web Pics

Slideshow Favorites :

Slideshow Favorites

Updated: Oct 03, 2009 12:14pm PST

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Family Pics

People Photography : As little as five years ago, I could have counted the number of times I had pointed my camera at another person on 2 hands. I just never had any interest in shooting people. Having kids tends to force one into this type of photography, even if it is "kicking and screaming!" Over the past couple years, I have been reading books on lighting, composition, and other related techniques (did I mention lighting?) as they relate specifically to human subjects. It has proven to be the most challenging form of photography I have ever studied. Getting "that special shot" takes patience, planning, and good technique. I am now ready to share some of my work. I am also beginning to do this for others by appointment. Please contact me for details if you have an interest in some special images taken at the location of your choice!

People Photography

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Kirsten's Sunday Shoot

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