About

 

 

Why "Tallgrass"?

 

The tallgrass prairie once spread east from the Great Plaines to cover most of the American Midwest.  This was certainly true for my home state of Illinois which is still nicknamed "The Prairie State."  From an personal genealogical standpoint, the geographical stretch of the tallgrass prairie closely demarcates the settlement pattern of my family in America.  Although the tallgrass prairie as a uniform feature of the landscape is mostly gone, native grasses keep poking up through the concrete and asphalt.  Look almost anywhere in the central and upper Midwest and you can see unkempt stretches of the grasses and wildflowers that were once the dominant feature of the region.    After over a century of living on the Prairie, my family is as Midwestern as they come.  All of my generation leads civilized modern lives but all of us feel close to the grasslands that our great-great grandparents first came to in the late 1800s.  The photographs on this site are part of a personal project to explore my relationship with where and the people with whom I live.  They are also part of my attempt to become a better photographer. 

 

I sincerely hope that there is something artistic in these images that is meaningful to others as well.

  

Equipment

 

I currently use a Canon 5d digital SLR for 95% of my photographs.  My zoom lenses include the Canon 16-35mm/f2.8L, 24-70mm/f2.8L (primary landscape lens), 24-105mm/f2.8L (primary "walk-around" lens), and 70-200mm/f2.8L.  At this point, my only prime lens is the super-sharp Canon 100mm/f2.8 macro.  I own, and even occasionally use, the Canon 1.4x extender.

 

In addition to my 5d, I occasionally use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 digicam and my old Pentax MX (usually loaded with Kodak TMax black and white film).

 

Prints

All of the photographs on this site are available for purchase.  Please visit my gallery website at www.ariefriedman.com/sales for further information.

 

How to contact me:

I am always interested in discussing my photographs or photography in general.  At present, the best way to contact me is via email:

 

arie-images@premierpeds.com.