The Best of Both Worlds

Anyone who's followed my photography knows that my two most photographed subjects are natural landscapes and urban abandonment or URBEX (urban exploration).  Well, lately I've been at this location just south of Milwaukee where I've been fortunate to have both at my disposal.  I arrive before sunrise and shoot the scenic old piers on Lake Michigan.  Sometimes the power plant to the south makes for an interesting twist to the scene.  Once the sun has risen, I'll climb up the hill from the lakeshore where this wonderful abandoned factory provides all kinds of great opportunities.  Unfortunately, this site is in the process of being torn down for good.  On the one hand, I feel sad that the best of both worlds will disappear for good at this location.  On the other hand, I'm glad I had the chance to document these buildings before they are gone forever.

URBEX!

Urban Exploration sometimes known as the art of trespassing without getting caught is something I never thought I would enjoy as much as I do.  There the feeling of discovery as you enter an abandonment for the first time.  I feel a rush of adrenaline when I first approach a new site.  I feel the same when I return to find something new, something moved, something changed.  I love the feeling I get when I try to imagine the building during its hay day whether a glimpse of the blue collar worker or life on a working farm.

Infrared & Color

I've always been fascinated with Infrared (IR) photography. I converted an old Canon 20D to shoot only IR. The conversion was done at Lifepixel.com. Mostly, I dabbled with black and white conversions but this week, I decided to try color IR. While I used a custom white balance to take this shot (focusing on green grass), I found that by cranking up the vibrance and bumping the saturation in Lightroom, I could achieve the colors you see in this image. I'm pretty happy with my first colored IR image.

Daily Wanderings

I spend a lot of weekends at my place 'up north' about 2.5 hours from home. It's my slice of heaven. But there's so much to see and photograph on the way but I never get much of a chance to slow down and take it all in. Well, today, that changed. Taking everything but the highway, we went through typical small towns that dot the state of Wisconsin. I loved it. I did't stop for everything, but that only means I'll get it next time. The abandoned house in the is image was literally in the middle of nowhere. Even the driveway was obscured from view.