Daily Wanderings by Bob Israel

Gold Medal

2011-11-13T08:23:00.001-06:00

Gold Medal, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Early Morning in the Mill District

Welcome to Minneapolis!

2011-11-12T20:57:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Minneapolis!, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Time to return to posting on the blog!

Castles and Windmills

2011-02-20T13:47:00.000-06:00

So, I've been here for more than a month and no one has asked me about the windmills and castles. They're out there for sure. Staying close to home, I went to Wijk Bij Duurstede which is only about 20 minutes outside of Utrecht. There's a cute town square and because it was Saturday, the town was busy and crowded. Having a decent weather day certainly helped.

We found a place to park and headed toward the windmill at the end of town. I'm not sure if this one is a working mill but it was cool to actually stand underneath it. There are something like 1600 working windmills throughout the Netherlands. That's the old school variety. The new energy generating ones dot the landscape as well.

The other site to see is the Duurstede Castle. This one has it's origins back in the 13th century and there's a structure still standing! The main castle was added during the 1500s. We didn't get there in time for an inside tour but the grounds where the castle stands complete with moat are impressive. I hope to get back can photograph this site at night.

Duurstede Castle

So How Long Does It Take To Build A Cathedral?

2011-02-12T13:59:00.000-06:00

St. Bavo, Ghent, Belgium

On the way home from Bruges, we stopped in the town of Gent (Ghent), Belgium. We knew it as a university town but beyond that, we knew little. It was a chance to see another city on the way home. Like all the places I've been so far, this was another treat. While there's a lot of resurrection work going on in the city, the architecture of old is very evident. 2012 will be a time to really visit this city's center once the project is complete.

We decided to go into Saint Bavo Cathedral (pictured above). This cathedral was built in various stages with additions over the centuries. Evidence of the wooden beginnings of the structure are evident in the crypt and date back to the year 942! The cathedral was considered complete in 1569, a mere 500 years later. Inside, was the real treat. Now this cathedral is not like the gleaming cathedral I saw in Antwerp. This one is dark, damp and shows the discoloration of withstanding centuries of time. Yet, it is the most remarkable cathedral I've seen to date. The details in this place were just incredible. Unfortunately, pictures inside were not allowed. I know my words won't do the place justice but I was awed by the magnitude of St. Bavo.

There's much to see in Gent. However, having gotten there about midday, we stopped for a Waffle drizzled with chocolate and a coffee following our visit to Saint Bavo and strolled the streets some more. On our journey, I caught a glimpse of an alley that was covered in artful graffiti. Naturally, I stopped to see if I wanted to photograph the alley. Well, this was a long alley and it was covered with art. The further I walked, the more art I saw. The alley went all the way through to the next street and it was covered with graffiti all the way. It was street art at its best.

Graffiti Alley, Ghent, Belgium

Venice of the North

2011-02-12T01:00:00.000-06:00

Bruges, Belgium

Well, I'm falling behind a bit. Last weekend was our first 'sleepover' in the city of Bruges, Belgium. Known as the the Venice of the North, Bruges is the best preserved medieval city in all of Europe. History of Bruges dates back to the 4th century but most of it's current architecture dates from the time it became a merchant trade town in the 12-15th centuries. That's right, it's current architecture! I am constantly amazed at the age of the structures I encounter and these buildings are still in use.

We stayed at a wonderful little hotel, Hotel Ter Duinen. I highly recommend this place. Small, quaint with very helpful and friendly service and located just outside the 'noisy' center of Bruge. We felt like the location was more a neighborhood. The breakfast the next morning was also great as we sat by the window overlooking a canal.

The best word to describe Bruge is simply charming. Some think it's a bit touristy but we found it fun to explore the city and it's history. The main square, which is impressive and reminds me of Brussels, and is bustling with people includes the tall belfry and the Church of our Lady.

But the real fun we had in this city can be summed up in three words, waffles, chocolate and beer! Waffles with your favorite topping are like street food. The shops will sell from their storefront to people passing by and they are really good! While there are many chocolate shops, only a few actually make their own chocolate on the premises. The Chocolate Line was recommended and it didn't disappoint. Just standing inside the store you get a big wonderful whiff of chocolate. Lastly, we went to the Half Moon Brouwerij for a tour of their beer making process with a nice sample at the end of the tour. We ended the day at Spinola and had one of the best meals to date since arriving to Europe.

Amersfoort

2011-02-02T12:37:00.001-06:00

Koppelpoort - Amersfoort, NL

Well, despite a full day of walking Saturday, we decided on Sunday to go check out the nearby town of Amersfoort. There an old gate on the west end of the town that was part of the original fortress to protect the city. It’s called Koppelpoort and dates back to 1425 when it was completed. I was most interested to see this as we have nothing like it in the U.S., certainly not this age. It amazes me to see such sites that are nearly 600 years old! Amersfoort is a city of old vs. new. The old part of the city is still surrounded by canals and walls offering its protection. In this case, it’s protection from the modern architecture that exists beyond the old city walls. Within the walls however, is a very quaint typically dutch down with windy streets and lovely homes. The town square with it’s tower is quite impressive as well. We happened to be there on Koopzondag or “Shopping Sunday”. Once a month, stores are allowed to open on Sunday and this was the day in Amersfoort. I think the whole town and surrounding community was out roaming a main street like area that was filled with all kinds of shops. Some are similar to home but most are specialty shops. We like Amersfoort a lot. There were some restaurants we’re thinking of visiting sometime soon.

Antwerp, Belgium

2011-01-30T14:12:00.001-06:00

The Cathedral of our Lady - Antwerp, BE

Today we ventured to Antwerp, Belgium. That’s right we crossed the border into another country. Way back when, that might have been a big deal. Today, we didn’t even see a ‘Welcome to Belgium’ sign. Of course, we could have missed it since we don’t speak dutch or french! The trip was easy and less than an hour and a half from Utrecht.

Antwerp – city on the Scheldt, city of Rubens, of diamonds, of fashion, a port city. It’s said that most of the worlds diamonds pass through Antwerp. Well, we opted for the architecture and strolling the shopping areas. But most of our time was spent on the Grote Markt and Cathedral area. Once we parked the car, we followed the signs and emerged into a town square with magnificent architecture. Within our sites (as is the case throughout most of the city) was the Cathedral of Our Lady. This was a site to behold. It took nearly 170 years to build but it was worth it. I must have taken 150 images of this place. After 169 years of building [1352-1521] the Cathedral raised up, like lace-work in stone, 123 meters high above Flanders. It became the largest Gothic construction in the Netherlands. The Cathedral is a vast treasure chamber, preserving masterpieces by Rubens. The paintings were incredible. The architecture of the seven-aisled church has been restored to its full splendour after twenty years of work.

We wanted to visit the Foto Museum. It was a bit of a walk but after getting there, it was closed to change exhibits. It would have been nice if they would have posted that fact on their website! Ah well, it was a bright sunny day and it gave us a chance to see more of the city. We had an early dinner at a very casual place in the heart of the old city center, captured some night images and headed home.

The Cathedral at night

Everything . . . It's What's For Dinner

2011-01-28T15:35:00.000-06:00

Dinner at Blauw in Utrecht, NL

Tonight we had dinner at Blauw in Utrecht, an Indonesian restaurant. This was a first for us. The restaurant was recommended by Jamie’s yoga instructor so she made a reservation and off we went on this Friday night. The place was upscale but relaxed and as we are finding out, most restaurants are casual when it comes to dress code. Looking around we saw that most people had all these little plates stacked in front of them. Looking at the menu (in english!) we gathered that they all ordered rice plates, an assortment of small plates. So we decided to order two rice plates, one with meat and the other with fish. Well, they brought some plates, then some more, then even more! What you see in the image above is the full monty . . . our dinner order. It was overwhelming to say the least and there was barely enough room to fit our plates on the table. The food was outstanding! So many flavors and many we hadn’t had before. We just about finished everything! We can’t wait to take family and friends to this place. In fact, if you check out their website, they show pictures of the patrons when their food is served. For the next few days, check out the images for Friday the 28th of January!

The Binnenhof

2011-01-25T14:33:00.000-06:00

The Inner Court

The Binnenhof (Dutch, literally "inner court"), is a complex of buildings in The Hague. It has been the location of meetings of the Staten-Generaal, the Dutch parliament, since 1446, and has been the centre of Dutch politics for many centuries.

The grounds on which the Binnenhof now stands were purchased by Count Floris IV of Holland in 1229, where he built his mansion, next to the little lake that has been called Hofvijver or 'Court Pond' since the 13th century. More buildings were constructed around the court, several of which are well known in their own right, such as the Ridderzaal (Great hall; literally Knight's Hall), where the queen holds her annual speech at Prinsjesdag. One of the towers, simply known as het Torentje ('the Little Tower'; directly next to the Mauritshuis museum) has been the office of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 1982.

This 'Inner Court' is studded with monumental old buildings testifying of eight centuries of governing in the Low Countries, but it also has several ample open spaces, all freely open to the public. A gilt neogothic fountain adorns the main square and one of the few Dutch equestrian statues (of King William II) guards the main Stadtholder's Gate, that dates from around 1600.

The Ridderzaal

Empty Streets - The Urban Photo Collective

2011-01-23T13:29:00.002-06:00

Empty Streets, Utrecht, NL

I was like a little kid at Christmas last night and this morning. I was meeting with a group of photographers much like the Cream City Photographers of Milwaukee. The Urban Photo Collective is a group of photographers in each of several cities around The Netherlands including one in Utrecht. Each month, they gather for a photowalk in a different part of town and there is a theme for the walk. That theme is the same for all the cities.

It was a great day. About eight photographers including myself attended the walk. Linda, Dennis, Matty, Eva and the rest were extremely welcoming and all spoke english that I could get to know each a little. However, I need to improve my Dutch just to make it a little more fair. But, what a great group of people. The theme, ‘Empty Streets’, gave us all some focus and the walk took place in a section of Utrecht that is lined with small homes on small streets . . . seven of them to be exact. You can read more about it on the Urban Photo Collective. I can’t wait to see what’s posted on Flickr nor can I wait until next month.

Boogstrat, Utrecht, NL

Gouda and Den Haag

2011-01-23T13:17:00.000-06:00

Another weekend for exploring. We went to The Hague this weekend but on the way we stopped in Gouda. Yes, like the cheese but the Dutch don’t pronounce it the way we think. In Dutch G’s are pronounced like a guttural ‘Ch’ similar to the sound you hear in German and Yiddish. Also, the ‘ou’ in Gouda is pronounced like the ‘ou’ in out. So Gouda in Dutch rhymes with Chowda.

Anyway, Gouda is a really cute typically Dutch town with a central square and wonderful churches and architecture. The town has it’s share of small windy streets and canals. But the Saturday morning market is wonderful. Meats, Cheeses, fruits and vegetables are standard fair but our favorite was this little bread and pasty stand. We shared an apple turnover and I have to say it’s probably the best thing I’ve eaten in the last two weeks. I won’t even bother to ask how much butter went into a single pastry . . . better I don’t know.

Gouda, NL

We left Gouda for Den Haag. It’s a much bigger city and for our first visit, we focused on the palace and surrounding grounds. It’s is certainly impressive and history of Dutch government and the Binnenhof were amazing. The palace is surrounded by water on one side. That ‘one side’ looks to be about 2-3 football fields long! We’ll visit Den Haag again now that we know our way around a little better.

The palace in Den Haag, NL

Speaking Another Language

2011-01-21T08:04:00.002-06:00

A really great thing about the Netherlands, or at least here in Utrecht and Amsterdam, is that most people speak english. This is good since my Dutch is almost non-existant. However, I find enough similarity between Dutch and German that I recognize many words but sentence structure escapes me right now. But there’s another language here that requires just as much study. It’s called the metric system. Roads are measured in kilometers, gas/drinks in liters, and food such as meat and cheese in kilograms. Then there’s conversion of US dollars to Euros to get a sense of my overall cost. So, when in the grocery store and you want to buy a pound of meat for dinner you're looking for something that’s just over 450 grams (453.592 gms to be exact). Then you factor in the price (Euros/Kg) and convert to the dollar just to get a sense of price/lb. Same with gas which is quite expensive here. 1.50 Euros/Liter x 3.785 Liters/gal x 1.3 dollars/euro = $7.38/gal. Hmmm, Maybe I should just leave the calculator alone!

It's All Relative

2011-01-20T13:08:00.001-06:00

Well, all good things must come to an end. My work permit arrived and so it was off to do what I came here for . . . so posting to this blog daily just won't happen!

That doesn’t mean I can’t find evening time to go out and shoot a little. So far there’s been more rain than sun but when the sun comes out, it’s wonderful. First, it’s quite a bit warmer than Milwaukee, especially now as the temp there dips below zero Farenheit. Here it actually cooled down a bit but still reached a relatively balmy 40F. We’re settling into routines and I think I found my preferred route to the office although as the temperatures climb, I’ll consider biking to work not on my racing bike but on a Dutch classic. I hear there are shops where you can find a second hand bike. Just as well as bike trading (stealing) is part of the folk lore here. It’s been said that if you’re standing in front of a group of cyclists and say, ‘Hey that’s my bike’, half of those people will drop the bike they’re on and walk away!

Sunday

2011-01-16T11:44:00.000-06:00

Today is my first Sunday in Utrecht. The stores are all closed. Even grocery stores don’t open until 4pm on Sunday. You can feel the difference from Sunday in the States. Saturday is shopping day and there’s a hustle and bustle that reminds me of the holiday shopping rush. Sunday is the calm after the storm. I ventured out about 8am this morning. It was wonderfully peaceful. I hardly saw another person. It seems like the Dutch take this day of rest thing seriously. I saw one bakery that was actually open but I could not buy a cup of coffee anywhere that I could see!

Jamie and I went for another walk around 11am. There were certainly more people out but the bikes were mostly silent. It seems Sunday is a day to walk the parks . . . casually taking it slow and easy. Whereas the rest of the week is go, go, go, Sunday is a day to be laid back or at least, I thought it was. We had lunch at a nice cafe overlooking a canal and I asked the waiter if grocery stores are closed on Sunday. He told me that some opened from 4-7pm.

So, at 5pm I went out again to pick up a few groceries. It’s only a five minute walk to the Albert Hein. Was I in for a surprise. It was like WalMart on Black Friday! The place was packed. I couldn’t even get a hand cart so I just got what I could hold. The lines went from the front to the back of the store. It was a crazy scene. I paid for my groceries and on the way out a worker stopped some people from entering the store because there were just too many people already inside. I think I’ll do my shopping on Saturday from now on.

Ahh, The Smell of Amsterdam

2011-01-16T01:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my first visit to Amsterdam in many years. While it was overcast and sometimes rainy, it was a lot warmer than Milwaukee. We walked to old parts of the city, visited the Jewish Quarter, the Anne Frank House, Dam Straat, and the Red Light District. It’s an amazing city with coffee shops, a small China Town, and score of bars and restaurants. It was a lot of walking but you could tell when a 'coffee house' was nearby. There was a Starbucks in the station at Amsterdam Centraal but I quickly realized that the European coffee I’ve been drinking is so much better.

Amsterdam is so much more an international city than Utrecht. I heard more english spoken there in one afternoon than I’ve heard since arriving nearly a week ago. People are friendly, cool and hip and it was a great first visit. We’ll be back for sure.

Bicycles, Bicycles Everywhere

2011-01-13T03:15:00.000-06:00

Thirty percent of the Dutch population travel by bicycle. This is astounding since only 45 percent travel by car. There are supposedly 1.11 bicycles per person in the Netherlands. That means there are around 18 million bikes lying around somewhere in the country. Clearly, this is a preferred mode a transportation. It’s been raining the past couple of days but it doesn’t seem to matter. People still get around town on the bikes, some carrying an umbrella but most just peddle along as if it were a sunny day. During ‘rush hour’ you can see 20-30 people on their bikes stopped at lights waiting for a signal change.

We’ve been thinking about getting a couple of bikes to get around town. There are plenty of places to park your bike and it’s easier (and cheaper) than parking your car. But we fear it’s the equivalent of biking on the interstate in bumper to bumper traffic at 70 mph! I’m sure we’ll get used to it but its amazing to watch.

Day Two

2011-01-11T23:26:00.000-06:00

Day Two

Two days in and it feels like things are settling in. Everything here is the same and different at the same time. The grocery stores seem to have all the things we need but with different sizes and packaging than we’re used to. It’s kind of fun trying to figure it all out. Bread and cheese are really good even the grocery store branded stuff! Even in our apartment, figuring out

Out on the streets there is no doubt who has the right of way . . . bicycles! They are everywhere and used in all kinds of weather. This is not your 10-speed Schwinn variety or your hybrid road/mountain bike. These are more like old school wicked witch of the west type bicylces that take a beating and keep on peddling. Now, when I cross the road, I have to look at the road and the bike lane. People on bikes don’t stop for anything except a red light.

The ‘centrum’ or old part of Utrecht is quite nice. Shops line the Oudergracht or old canal, which is a block from our apartment. We’ve found some nice cafes, restaurants and just about anything we could want. Yes and unfortunately, there is even a McDonalds in the city center. However, the only Starbucks seems to be at the train station which we have yet to visit.

The people of Utrecht have been very nice . . . and helpful when we need it. Most folks speak english quite well which is good since we know little dutch. I am looking forward to making some friends here.

And We're Off . . .

2011-01-11T23:22:00.001-06:00

De Oudegracht, Utrecht, NL

And We’re Off

Finally, we on our way to The Netherlands. After months of talking about it, planning for it, doing all the paper work, we’re finally on a plane from Chicago to Amsterdam with Utrecht being our final destination. It’s funny how you keep yourself busy, backing bags, making lists, contacting people, trying to remember all there is to do. It wasn’t until a few minutes ago, our 747 was gaining altitude and I saw the lights of Chicago that I realized I was leaving the U.S. for six months.

Now, I’ve been to The Netherlands before. I usually go once or twice a year in my current job but for no more than a week at a time. As we were packing, my usual routine for preparing to fly was different. Certainly, I’m taking a few more things with me . . . most notably my desktop computer for photography and six months worth of clothes. Some were shipped others were checked. I’ve never flown with so many bags! Nine in total, five of them checked (I hate checking baggage).

I was glad to buy a new camera bag. It was specifically for this trip. It’s a Tenba Shootout large backpack and I mean large. I was able to store, my 5D Mark II, 1D Mark IV, 70-200mm f/2.8, 7 more lenses, a flash, pocket wizards and a host of batteries, flash cards, chargers and cables. The backpack was very comfortable but there’s no way I would ever hike with all that gear. However, the bag serves it’s purpose and I didn’t have to ship or check any of my gear. The back comes in a medium and small size which would be more suitable for day trips and hikes.

The Green Door

2010-11-28T08:06:00.000-06:00

I don't know what happened. All of a sudden it's post Thanksgiving and I haven't posted here since September? Well, I found my way back to some old Urbex stomping grounds and it was like I was there for the first time all over again. I was like a kid in a candy store.

Changing Seasons at North Point

2010-09-11T11:07:00.000-05:00

Now that we are in mid-September, you can feel the change in the weather and a change of seasons is upon us. The weather is nice but certainly cooler and the effect it has on Lake Michigan at North Point is certainly noticeable. Whereas the lake can be perfectly calm in summer, the lake turns turbulent this time of year creating the opportunity for some dramatic images.

The End of Summer

2010-09-06T09:26:00.000-05:00

Say it ain't so. While there will still be some warm days ahead, Labor Day marks the end of summer and the care free days of vacation and summer time retreats. Nature paid homage to mark this end with a sunrise that shows the calm tranquility of summer and the ominous skies leading to a change of seasons.

Foggy Morning at North Point

2010-09-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to see a bit of fog this morning so I went back down to North Point along Lake Michigan. The fog wasn't heavy but enough to blend the sky with the water.

Milwaukee Nights

2010-08-31T21:07:00.000-05:00

I seem to be shooting more at night these days. Here's a few looks at Milwaukee during the pre-dawn hours. Hopefully the result justifies the insane hour of the day.

Gone Swimming . . .

2010-08-30T19:53:00.000-05:00

This was a perfect weather weekend to leave your worries (and your sandals) behind.

Legend Lake, WI

Night Time is the Right Time

2010-08-29T07:47:00.000-05:00

For photography that is . . .

With a rising moon over Legend Lake and a perfect night with clear skies, cool temps and very few mosquitos, you couldn't help but want to be outside.

Hints of Fall

2010-08-27T07:39:00.000-05:00

Labor Day is only a week away and this week, the weather has turned to beautiful cool mornings and bright sunshine for the day. The cool mornings remind us that fall is just around the corner.

More Grit from Jones Island

2010-08-25T19:13:00.000-05:00

Getting My Grit

2010-08-23T20:05:00.000-05:00

I've been itchy to photography lately and especially night, dark, gritty subjects. I decided to head over to Jones Island, a busy port filled with heavy industry as well. I was actually approached by an older gentlemen who drove up in his pickup truck. Apparently, I was picked up by the Coast Guard's cameras. He was polite enough, asked me what I was doing and merely said he needed to check because of Coast Guard security. I told him I was just taking image of general structures in the area and that was a freelance fine art photographer. While I was prepared to tell him I had every right to be there (on public property) and to photograph, he accepted my story and told me to have a nice day. It was the first time I've ever been questioned on Jones Island. I'm sure it won't be my last.

More Old World Wisconsin

2010-08-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

Darkly lit rooms and sepia toned images of old things just seem to go together . . .

Old World Wisconsin

2010-08-21T21:02:00.000-05:00

This month's photowalk for the Cream City Photographers took us to Old World Wisconsin. It was my first time there.

The museum's more than 60 historic structures range from ethnic farmsteads with furnished houses and rural outbuildings, to a crossroads village with its traditional small-town institutions. The efforts of countless historians have preserved an amazing slice of true Americana — one that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Historic Structures Documented

To create this museum, researchers traveled throughout Wisconsin in search of authentic historic buildings hewn by generations of Wisconsin settlers.

From Lake Superior to the Illinois border, and from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, historians documented many old farmhouses, outbuildings, and small-town structures. Once the research was complete, the amazing construction process of Old World Wisconsin began.

Structures Relocated to Build Old World Wisconsin

Piece by piece, workers painstakingly dismantled the old structures. They numbered bricks, boards and logs, and moved them to the site of Old World Wisconsin. In a setting largely unchanged from the rolling prairies the first pioneers found, the buildings took shape once more, reconstructed precisely as they had once been built.

World's Largest Museum about Rural Life

Today, Old World Wisconsin's historic farm and village buildings comprise the world's largest museum dedicated to the history of rural life.

Fire in the Sky

2010-08-15T06:17:00.000-05:00

Another from Legend Lake, WI

Solitude. Tranquil. Peaceful.

2010-08-14T08:50:00.001-05:00

Solitude. Tranquil. Peaceful. Those are the words that come to mind when I'm out on the lake early in the morning especially during the week when the weekend crowd are nowhere to be seen. It doesn't matter what the weather is, it's always a special time watching the world come alive to experience a new day.

Loons on Legend Lake

2010-08-12T09:22:00.000-05:00

This year, a mated pair of Loons are hanging around the same stretch of lake all season long. In the morning and evening they appear on the lake in the same place. Approaching them slowly, they seem to tolerate me getting close enough to photograph them although always keeping a watchful eye.

Land of the Menominee

2010-08-07T07:15:00.000-05:00

Each year the Monominee of Wisconsin host a Pow Wow on their grounds. They have an almost natural amphitheater in the woods for the show where several Indian nations gather for three days filled with contests, food, jewelry and of course, traditional dance, and chants. This image was taken during the Grand Entry, when all contestants enter the arena dancing to the various chants offered by each drum team. The event is filled with color, dance, music and tradition. It is clear that the Menominee are trying to protect and keep their native language which has survived for hundreds of years.

From Sunrise to Sunset

2010-07-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

Today's post contrasts my last giving you today's sunset. It was a pretty good one with sun rays shooting out from the clouds. The clouds were fast moving and scene was constantly changing. I was also fishing at the same time. I would cast a couple of times then take a few pictures, go back to fishing and snap a few more. My wife was enjoying the sunset lounging on the boat and commented that I was too busy with too many activities. However, I was having a blast.

Legend Lake Sunrise, Like an Old Friend

2010-07-11T20:10:00.000-05:00

While summer is in full swing, it's only been now that I have been able to catch a Legend Lake sunrise. It greeted me like and old friend . . . so familiar but it seemed so long since I was able to enjoy one. With this sunrise was the sound of loons and a bald eagle flew directly over head. Not a bad way to start the day.

The Big Bang

2010-06-25T14:59:00.001-05:00

Big Bang 062410-43.jpg, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

It's that time of year here in Milwaukee. Summerfest, an 11 day, 11 stage music fest gets underway with headliners that include Sheryl Crow, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton and many more. Some older classics will be here here as well including BB King, Peter Frampton, Yes and Rush. Rock On!

Dreams of Childhood

2010-05-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

Along the Milwaukee River I found this swing hanging from a tree. You can just picture a group of kids swinging out to the river only to jump off into the water. While no one was here today, I'll be watching now that the weather is warmer in the hopes of catching some action.

Serenity

2010-05-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

It's officially the first weekend of the summer season. Docks are going in, boats are gently cruising the lake. I arrived to calm waters and night light of the setting sun. It only takes a few minutes of this before the stress of the week begins to unwind.

Spring Rain

2010-05-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

There's something quite peaceful about a gentle morning spring rain. The kind when the winds are calm and everything is still. You can hear the rain hitting the trees and watch the landscape for water drops periodically falling from the leaves almost like a meteor shower in the sky. It's easy to get lost in your thoughts.

Keep Out

2010-05-02T20:05:00.000-05:00

Emerging New Series

2010-04-25T13:15:00.001-05:00

I feel like I've been in a creative lull lately. Well, with the CoPA Member's show and exhibit at Caggio, it has certainly been busy. However, I've been without a real project for some time now. I feel I need to a focus and total emersion in order to find and tell a story. The concept is coming together nicely but now I have to get out there and explore it further. For now, let's just say it will be urban focused . . .

More to come.

The Long and Winding Road

2010-04-21T19:36:00.000-05:00

I've been spending more time down on the Milwaukee River these days, taking the dog for some exercise and meeting people and other dogs along the way. The path parallels the river on both sides and at least right, while the grass is short, my dog has lots of room to roam and explore. It's an area I plan to explore more with images. This one, I'm experimenting with a Lightroom preset that I found online. I find it interesting in that the image has this glow to it and the color makes it look surreal. It certainly doesn't work for everything but I kind of like it here. Let me know what you think!

My favorite for Breakfast

2010-04-20T19:40:00.000-05:00

This is currently my favorite place for breakfast. With great sausage biscuit gravy and bacon everywhere, what's not to like!

The Things We See While Driving

2010-04-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

Whenever my wife and I travel, I drive. For once, I asked her to drive figuring I could catch some shut eye and/or snap a few photos along the way. I wanted to test out the 70-200mm f/2.8L version II zoom and figured shooting the scenery from a moving car would be a good test. Well, first off, it's harder than it looks because the lens is long, the car is small and the windows were closed! I eventually was able to get the hang of it and the lens performed very well. This shot was taken almost perpedicular to the direction the car was traveling and at highway speeds!

More Wind Point

2010-03-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

2010-03-23T20:11:00.000-05:00

Just south of the Wind Point Lighthouse in Racine, WI are a series of some old Jettys. I've stopped here a couple of times and even snapped a few images but this morning I decided to spend a bit more time. While most of the images captured were colorful sunrise landscapes, this image was shot with the intent of a black and white conversion. Hope you like it.

Cream City Photographers

2010-03-21T12:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the March photowalk for the Cream City Photographers. I haven't attended for the past couple of months so I figured I should go. The weather had turned cold and we had snow that morning. We still had about 15 brave souls who braved the wind and chill. The site of this month's walk was the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Most students were away for spring break which made shots like the one above easy since the school was empty. It was also a good respite from the cold to venture inside!

Upcoming Gallery Night & Day

2010-03-20T07:30:00.001-05:00

The spring edition of Milwaukee's Gallery Night & Day, taking place April 16-17 promises to be a busy one for me. I'm going to be exhibiting images at three different locations! The current exhibit at Caggio will be moving to the Milwaukee Athletic Club in the yoga room. New images will be shown at Caggio on Brady Street and finally, CoPA will be hosting its Members Show in the Dye Building in Milwaukee's Third Ward. More details on each will follow so stay tuned!

Dogs at Play

2010-03-17T08:43:00.000-05:00

They look ferocious but they're really just playing. I've been testing out the new Canon 1D Mark IV capturing my dog and her friends in action. I'm still playing with various settings but so far the camera does an outstanding job. The dogs change direction very quickly and so it's hard keeping up. I've been experimenting between using all 45 focus points and letting the camera choose and lock onto the action versus a single focus point with assist from surrounding points. I still need to play and at least for dogs in action, haven't settled on a preference yet. Nonetheless, it's still fun to capture the action.

The Good and Bad of This Economy

2010-03-13T12:23:00.000-06:00

While we all feel like the economy has had more downside than up, some (few) businesses actually benefit.

Feeling Spring

2010-03-08T12:41:00.001-06:00

While it's by no means warm, you can tell that spring is nearly here. Today the temps are supposed to reach the upper 40s even though the morning was still below freezing. But even then, you could tell it was going to be a warmer day. A haze was forming in the sky and on the horizon. Snow is evaporating and causing morning fog. This is the time of year in Wisconsin that is often a tease. Yes, today will be seasonably warm but will it hang around or are we due for our usual frustrations when is snows in April?

Time will tell.

Today's image is taken from the Third Ward of Milwaukee with a view of the Hoan Bridge and the Milwaukee Harbor Lighthouse during sunrise.

HDR Not Included

2010-02-22T20:43:00.000-06:00

HDR seems to be the latest and greatest. However, in many cases I think it's overused to the point the image looks over processed. Now, some people do a wonderful job giving images the over processed look that it looks like something out of this world. Other times, the image looks just a little off to me. Finally, there are those that use HDR to solve a problem with high dynamic range images without the viewer recognizing that HDR processing was used. It's this latter approach that I find most impressive.

I've never used HDR software and have been wanting to try. For now, I'm really satisfied with the gradient filter in Lightroom. I can achieve an HDR like process and expand the images dynamic range quite easily and using a single image. The filter is really flexible and you can apply exposure compensation to achieve an HDR like process. However, you can simultaneously adjust clarity, contrast, saturation and sharpness on the same gradient. In this image, I used several gradients that were all high in clarity (tonal contrast) to give the overall 'graininess' effect in this image.

Land of Waffles, Chocolate and Good Beer

2010-02-17T14:06:00.001-06:00

Well, time flies. I can't believe I have no entries in February. Well, I'm just back from a trip to Brussels, Belgium. It was a business trip but I had some time on Sunday for a photographic excursion and tried to make the most of it.

Back to North Point

2010-01-30T07:36:00.001-06:00

Sometimes it can be months between visits and then I will go there several times a week if I can. I went back to North Point yesterday morning and was greeted by another stunning display of predawn color caused by the glow of city reflecting its lights into the clouds. It was still dark enough for the lights to stand out. About 15 minutes later, the scene changed so much that the city lights no longer looked as dramatic as they did here. I never tire of this place.

Breaking the Rules?

2010-01-25T16:54:00.000-06:00

The rules of photography that is. When should you follow the 'rules' and when are rules made to be broken. Typically, you would never take a landscape shot like this one and put the horizon in the middle of the image cutting it in half. More typically, the horizon is found in the lower or upper third. This is consistent with the photography rule of thirds which divides any images into nine sections. Images are typically more dramatic if a subject is place in one of the outer thirds rather than smack in the middle. Normally, I would tend to compose the same way but this image required that I break some of these rules.

The sun and its reflection are pretty much in the middle of the image. The horizon cuts the image in half. Yet, I think this image works very nicely because the clouds and their reflections preserve this rule of thirds. What do you think and why . . . ?

North Point Revisited

2010-01-21T08:43:00.000-06:00

It's been some time since I've visited North Point on Milwaukee's Lake Michigan lakefront. Sometimes it seems like I'm there every couple of days and then I go months without even driving by. This morning, I decided to revisit this spot as I have a current portfolio published in Wisconsin Trails magazine. I'm glad I went. The surf was rough and I wish I could have stayed until there was enough light to catch the waves crashing against the ice causing classic explosions of water into the air.

Instead, I caught this image looking south toward the city. The sun won't come up for another half hour or more but there enough color in the sky caused by the reflecting lights of the city. Good morning Milwaukee.

Canon ID Mark IV

2010-01-18T11:52:00.002-06:00

OK, I admit it. I love technology. I love the latest and greatest. I always thought that Canon's 1-series cameras were going to be just out of reach for me. Then, a stroke of luck, some extra cash, a quick sale of an almost new 7D and here I sit with a new Canon 1D Mark IV. I feel extremely fortunate. It's only been a couple of days with this new state of the art machine but there's so much to love about it already:

The new 45 point auto focus system is great. No hunting in low light (like my 5D Mark II often does)
High ISO shots are fabulous. I've shot at ISO 8000 which cleans up nicely with even the default settings in Noiseware Professional noise reduction software
The noise pattern itself is more pleasing (to me) as compared to the Canon 7D
I think I like the 1.3 crop factor better than the 1.6 but I still like full frame (5D Mark II).
The feature set like spot metering on the AF point
The new AI Servo for action shots

There's much more that I have only read about but not explored. But at the end of the day, the camera has to take good photographs regardless of all the features. The image in this post was taken during a recent trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL (think warm). It was taken at ISO 6400, handheld and processed with noise reduction software. The glow in the foreground is due to the street lights on the main draft in Ft. Lauderdale Beach.

A Classic Ford

2010-01-10T09:43:00.001-06:00

This weekend I'm back up in Menomonee County at my Legend Lake retreat. The weather is quite cold but calm. We were greeted with blue skies and bright sunshine which made the 10 degree temperature feel tolerable. I was mad at myself for leaving my tripod at home which meant no sunrise or sunset pictures this weekend. Wouldn't you know it but there were some nice sunrises and sunsets!

I did a little driving around the lake and surrounding areas and came upon this classic old Ford pickup. Now, I'm not one for knowing the exact year of this model but I do know I can't pass on an opportunity to photograph and old beat up truck with rust and peeling paint. It just gives us that sentimental feeling of days gone by. In this case, the way the light was hitting truck really emphasized the rust and textures. I kept the exposure underexposed by 1.5 stops and added vignette in Photoshop Lightroom

Making Waves

2010-01-06T08:40:00.000-06:00

I just published my Making Waves series to my website. I like this series as it reminds me of warmer weather and the peace of being out on the lake early in the morning or at sunset. The series captures the gentle ripples of boat trails creating a pattern of colored light depending on the surroundings. Green for trees, blue for skies and many colors of sunrise and sunset.

Check it out at http://www.rjiphotography.com

Making Waves - Images by Bob Israel

A Cold Start to the New Year

2010-01-03T21:27:00.000-06:00

Spending New Year's up north on Legend Lake was a wonderful way to relax. It was cold though. But there was also a blue moon. I caught a few shots but the one shown here is a setting moon on the morning of January 2nd. It was about 5 below zero but the winds were calm and it was quiet. It was so quiet that all I could hear was my own breathing. Soon the sun came up and I was able to watch my little world wake to new day.

2010-01-01T17:38:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year to all. As we enter the new year, here's a look back at some of my best from 2009.

Enjoy!

Scenes from 2009 - Images by Bob Israel

Wisconsin Trails Magazine

2009-12-26T13:09:00.000-06:00

The upcoming Jan/Feb edition of Wisconsin Trails Magazine will feature the cover image and a six page spread of my images from North Point. North point is located just south of Bradford Beach along the Lake Michigan shore in downtown Milwaukee, WI. It's a popular spot among area photographers but surprisingly, many do not know of it's existence. I often get asked where the images are from and people are quite surprised to learn that such a unique landscape is right outside their front door.

Thanks to Jerry Luterman, photographer for Wisconsin Trails, for his help to get these images published in the magazine. He's a pretty good photographer himself and I am definitely a fan.

A New Website (in progress)

2009-12-15T10:29:00.002-06:00

I'm working toward a new website for RJI Photography. I'm using Photoshelter which is an all inclusive option from archiving to website to storefront and proofing. Right now, I'm only working on a limited 30 day freebie but I have all the functionality there. Here's an example of the home page slide show embedded into this blog:

Oak Creek - Images by Bob Israel

This blog can also be integrated into the website navigation so now my blog will be more interactively linked with my website. I'm really liking the features associated with photoshelter and I'm just getting started. More to come!

Simplicity

2009-12-10T15:43:00.000-06:00

What is it about a simple peeling wall with a shadow and a foreground element that makes an image so intriguing? There are no people and no action. I know that when I look at this and similar images, it makes my mind wander, whether about the particular image or not. Sometimes, you feel the texture of the wall, the cracks in the wall board. The radiator reminds of my childhood where we had these for our heat. It reminds me of the dozen or so layers of paint that are typical of radiators of this era. It reminds of the clanking sound when they started heating up or when they cooled. So maybe, it a reminder of an era gone by but something that relates to my youth. It makes me wonder if someone half my age would react similarly or whether they have another set of feelings that makes this image intriguing to them.

One Earth

2009-12-03T06:56:00.000-06:00

I recently came back to this image I took during the summer along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Wolf River in Menomonee County, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, I came upon this scene where someone decided they were too lazy to properly dispose of their trash. I really thought we, as a society, had come past this type of behavior. Fortunately, we cleaned it up before the trash made its way into the river. The image serves as a reminder that no matter how beautiful this wonderful planet can be, we can destroy it in a minute.

The Best of Both Worlds

2009-11-25T20:02:00.000-06:00

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!

2009-11-20T17:58:00.001-06:00

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

2009-11-09T04:51:00.004-06:00

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

2009-11-08T20:18:00.002-06:00

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.

Pink

2009-09-30T05:51:00.003-05:00

Beginning this evening, the Milwaukee Art Museum, for the first time ever, will glow pink against the stunning backdrop of the September evening sky. The 10-day lighting project celebrates the opening of the Museum’s major fall exhibition, Andy Warhol: The Last Decade with a nod to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at the Milwaukee lakefront on Sunday, September 27. With a 217-foot wingspan that opens and closes twice daily, the illuminated wings of the Quadracci Pavilion will offer an extraordinary spectacle along the city’s skyline.
“It’s wonderful timing that we’re unveiling the work of an iconic Pop artist as the 2009 Komen Race for the Cure winds around the Milwaukee Art Museum,” said Dan Keegan, the Museum’s director. “For the first time ever, we’ll fully light the Museum in color – bright pink – to show our support for the race and breast cancer awareness. The lighting project will offer a beautiful visual representation of art as a catalyst for healing and hope, and underscores the Museum’s importance as a community gathering place.”

In a continuing effort to collaborate with and support an array of community organizations, the Museum exterior will be lit in pink each evening from approximately 7:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., starting today through the beginning of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Friday, October 2. The end time will be extended until midnight on Friday, September 25; Saturday, September 26; and Friday,

October 2. For added visual excitement, the Museum’s outdoor fountains will also take on a bright pink hue starting today.

“We hope the community, and families, will take the opportunity to drive or walk by the Milwaukee Art Museum to see this spectacular sight,” added Keegan.

In an additional show of support, the Milwaukee Art Museum will offer free admission on race day to all cancer survivors participating in the Komen Race for the Care. Survivors will be presented with a certificate for admission in the Survivor’s Tent after the race, or can gain admission on race day by wearing their signature pink t-shirt. All other participants will receive a special offer for $2 off admission. The Komen Race for the Cure, the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world, raises significant funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.

The lighting is made possible with the support of the Pellmann Center for Medical Imaging.

What 9/11 Gave Us

2009-09-16T19:27:00.002-05:00

I used to live in the Washington, DC area. Back then, I never really toured the city except when guests came to town. It really is a beautiful city and it's buildings and architecture are a photographic delight. But there are clear signs of change from when I left DC in 1996 most notably the security around the city, especially at our monuments and government buildings. This picture is of the back side of the US Capital. That's one serious piece of hardware in the hands of the guy in the middle. A scene like this was never evident before 9/11 . . . a sign of the times.

Patches

2009-09-11T15:31:00.002-05:00

The weather in SE Wisconsin has been the best of the summer season even though summer is ending. The skies have clear, the wind light resulting in several days of patchy fog in the morning. I've spent the past couple of mornings getting out bed way too early to drive during sunrise through the fog looking at wonderful displays of light. The normal and mundane are suddently trasnposed into the mysterious and beautiful. The scene shown here is merely someone's driveway in rural Racine County.

Boat Trails

2009-09-09T04:59:00.003-05:00

Labor Day weekend brings the end of summer and with it the end of another season on the lake. While there's plenty of good boating weather left in September it seems that most people are distracted toward other activities and so the crowds thin out very quickly. I like our lake in September. There's often fog in the morning, the fishing is great and the colors of sunrise are crisp as cold mornings become more the norm and a sign of things to come.

Two by Two

2009-09-09T04:17:00.002-05:00

A recent photowalk by the Cream City Photographers, a Flickr group, found ourselves at Jones Island in Milwaukee. It's the city's main shipping port and I have photographed this area before.

While there were many other photographs that I took, this one was one of those spontaneous images and a departure from all the other images I made that day. It was the symmetry and the mystery that caught my interest. The symmetry in the two women with red hair and black coats, two telephone poles against a large pillar of salt. The mystery was wondering what these two photographers were doing or looking at! I still don't know.

Jones Island

2009-08-30T08:57:00.005-05:00

It seems like summer has kept me so busy that I have neglected to post in this blog. Well, all I can say is that I keep trying. Today's entry is from Jones Island in Milwaukee. It's the industrial port to Milwaukee trade on Lake Michigan, the Menomonee, Milwaukee and Kinnikinnic Rivers. It has a rich and political history to its current status as Milwaukee's working harbor.

Summerfest 2009

2009-07-13T21:28:00.001-05:00

Saliva03, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

I love concert photography but I don't get to do it often. Two years ago, I had a blast photographing from the pit at Summerfest, going there 8 of 10 days. This year, I again had a media pass and arranged to shoot a number of bands. I was able to shoot a number headliners, Kiss, Barenaked Ladies, Counting Crows and more. But it was this band called Saliva that was the most fun. These guys were intense, dark and gothic but the combination of the lighting, their outfits and demeanor were made for photography. While I only have one image posted here, more Saliva (and the other bands named above) can be found on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjiphotography

July 4th at Legend Lake

2009-07-09T09:52:00.001-05:00

July 4th at Legend Lake, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

July 4th "up north". No big city events, no parking problems and you would think, mediocre fireworks. Well, here on Legend Lake, there are a couple of families that historically make significant investments in fireworks displays on the lake.

Someone puts out a sign for fireworks at dusk and the masses of pontoon boats and speedboats gather on the water to wait for the show. This clip is part of the finale of what I would describe as nearly as good a show as you might find anywhere. And there's something great about watching from the water. This year, the weather was perfect . . . warm weather, light winds, cloudless sky. It was a perfect way to end a perfect day.

A Different Kind of Photography . . . To Me!

2009-06-25T14:09:00.003-05:00

We know there are many different forms of photography. My sweet spot has been landscape and more recently urban and urban decay. Well, this week, a good friend invited me to a Strobist Meetup.

Strobist is defined as getting the light from a source other than the camera. It's anything from an off camera flash or a studio set up of one or more light sources. A strobist meetup is whe you pair 12 or so photographers with 4-6 models and several lighting set ups. At least, this was the case this week at my first meet up.

For whatever reason, I have always been somewhat intimated by flash photography. Typically, I put the flash on my camera and let the flash communicate with the camera to give me the results I expect. I've played soft boxes on my flash and bounce flash but that's been as far as I've gone.

The nice thing about this strobist meetup is that there are several setups there for you to use without having to go through the setup. This meeting had a range of photographers, some first timers like me and others who brought gear for all of us to use. OK, so the lights are set and in walk the models . . . all of them beautiful in their own way, some experienced and others less so (just like us photographers).

Well, we all took turns at different lighting set ups with different models. At first, I was somewhat timid but soon found myself totally enjoying the interaction between model and photographer. I learned a lot that night. I still have a lot to learn but I came away with some images that I personally like and shared with the models who worked as hard as we did.

Tanya & Michael

2009-06-21T20:34:00.001-05:00

The wedding of Tanya & Michael - June 20, 2009

Lightroom Export Plugins

2009-06-03T05:06:00.003-05:00

Timothy Armes has written some extremely useful export plugins for Lightroom. No longer does one have to export to JPEG in a proper size configuration, then upload to Flickr, Facebook, or even blogs like this one. Instead, the plugin is set up to do this directly from Lightroom. I use these plugins all the time and they're time savers for sure. Additionally, I don't end up with a bunch of small jpegs all over my hard drive. The blog plugin even lets you enter the blog text from the plugin. I'm using it to make this blog entry. You should definitely check this out.

A New Day

2009-05-12T15:46:00.005-05:00

I suddenly realized how long it's been since my last post. Sorry about that!

Well this morning I visited one of my favorite locations . . . North Point. I had no intention of making any photographs but instead, thought I would enjoy a cup of coffee. I'm in a very melancholy mood having just laid my dear sweet dog, Shamrock to rest yesterday. Her time had come and I am at peace with the decision. It was based on her needs and not my own. I will miss her like a child as she's been such a part of the family having lived with us through my real children's formative, teen years. You can see pictures of Shamrock on Flickr.

My friends, old and new have been very supportive. A dear old friend from back east even located the local Humane Society in southern Wisconsin where I found Shamrock to make a donation on her behalf. Times like these are easier with such friends.

I left work early yesterday in the hopes of spending a few more precious moments with Shamrock. We went down to the lakefront. It was an absolutely perfect day. We spend some time walking and sitting but I could tell she was not settled. She was content to just mozy around the grass taking in the various scents of people, places and things. I tried to get her to just sit with me. It was almost as if she was saying, 'it's OK to let me go now' as she continued to be slightly aloof. Her time had come.

So this morning, I returned to this scene content to watch the lake with my morning coffee thinking of Shamrock before heading to work. I was greeted by a wonderful sunrise over the lake. I met some joggers and a close friend. I decided to take a few images, have some nice early morning conversation and then on my way. It was a new day. A new chapter.

North Point Revisited

2009-04-04T11:59:00.003-05:00

The ice has finally melted and the temperatures are warming . . . . slowly. North Point in Milwaukee is finally revealed once again. The mornings have been filled with color in the skies but there is something about black and white that always draws me in. Perhaps it's the variation in the water or even the tonality in the rocks. There are three different textures in this image, the sky, the water and the rocks with points where they blend from one to another. Spring is nearly here.

Return to Legend Lake

2009-03-08T10:11:00.004-05:00

It's been a long winter. With my move to downtown Milwaukee, I haven't been 'up north' since November. While the lake is still frozen, the weather is starting to warm. However the ice is still thick enough that trucks still ride across the lake to enjoy ice fishing. For me, it was a chance to 'walk on water' or at least frozen water, camera in hand. The weather was mostly overcast creating an all too common winter scene.

The birch trees stood out more than anything else in the landscape. Even with the bright white of the frozen lake, these trees appeared to rise from the ground like white veins popping from the shoreline against the darker trees. Although the light was even and flat, the contrast was most striking.

Signs of Spring

2009-03-05T10:45:00.002-06:00

Now that it's March, we quickly start to look for signs of spring. Of course, here in Wisconsin, that two days of warm weather sometime between now and mid-May. We can dream though, can't we?

I've been looking through some past images and came upon the image here. I remember taking it up at Legend Lake, WI where we have a home on the lake. I used to take many upclose images of small things. But lately, most of my subjects have been broader landscapes and cityscapes. I still live to look at images like this because it gives a perspective that we rarely see or take the time to study. These little mushrooms were growing out of a tree stump. The mushrooms were less than an inch in diameter each. It gives you and idea of the tiny details on each mushroom.

Maybe, I'll have to pull out the macro lens as I see signs of spring!

Jones Island

2009-03-01T21:28:00.003-06:00

Some friends recently introduced me to Jones Island in Milwaukee. Within the Milwaukee harbor area, this is a highly industrialized location that includes docking from some heavy duty freighters and large ships that travel the Great Lakes. There are many structures and business there as well and in many cases it's hard to tell what goes on there. In any case, I'm finding the location somewhat intriguing and plan to make more trips in the near future.

A New Location

2009-02-23T05:09:00.006-06:00

I recently had dinner with a couple of photographer friends. We had great food and conversations . . . not all photography related. Afterwards, one of my friends suggested a ride to Jones Island as we had been talking about the location during the evening. It's a commercial port, coast guard station, train depot, etc. all under the Hone Bridge.

Needless to say, there seemed to be a multitude of settings that caught my eye. It was night so it was dark but this area had a lot of interest. I need to study the location more and understand it's history and current use. There are public roads through this section but I have heard that the authorities patrol and try to prevent photographers from taking pictures. This involves a whole separate discussion on photographer rights, especially when on public roads.

I caught this image as we slowly drove through the area. While technically not the best (it is handheld at a slow shutter speed), it reminds me of a scene from a movie or TV show. The reflective light of the car in the foreground puddle shows promise.

Just a short drive from home, I need to explore this area further.

Manufacturing

2009-02-16T21:02:00.003-06:00

Today, I was able to photograph our manufacturing plant in Racine, WI. Partly, it's to create some images for the conference room there. I'm also heading up original photography for our annual sustainability report. The real fun is looking at all the patterns from pipes, assembly lines, conveyors and so on. Additionally, there's all that steel. It seems it's just made for black and white. There's something beautiful about it all.

Making Lemonade from a Lemon

2009-02-15T08:46:00.005-06:00

I had hopes for this morning's sunrise on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee but it was not to be. The clouds layer was too thick for the sun to poke through on the horizon. So, I was left to consider taking some images of the ice build up on the lake shore but I just wasn't seeing anything interesting.

The tree in this photo is at the end of the parking lot. There seemed to be enough color to make the shot somewhat interesting. I've taken this shot before and I do like the tree. Keeping the foreground dark, I was able to capture enough color and the contrast of this tree against it makes a nice silhouette.

East Side Church of Christ

2009-02-10T10:09:00.002-06:00

I find myself at the beginning of a new project. As such, I'm excited and anxious to explore and take plenty of images. Sometimes, it gets the best of me and I wake up early and head out before the sun rises and before there are signs of life. But it's a good time to absorb, reflect and seek out places to spend more time. But the low lighting also brings opportunity. I really like the lighting on this image of the East Side Church of Christ.

Lensbaby

2009-02-09T04:56:00.001-06:00

I was looking to try something a bit different. Than I remembered I had the original lens baby. It was a fun little toy but somewhat cumbersome to use. I recently picked up the Lensbaby Composer. It's a 50mm lens where the front element is on a ball and socket so you can rotate or bend the lens in any direction. This allows you to selectively focus anywhere in the frame while the you blur out the rest. Aperture rings allow you to vary the depth of field. The Composer is so much easier to use. I've been walking around town with only the lensbaby on my camera. This image had an aperture of f/4. It gives images a interesting mysterious look. Something that was merely ordinary now becomes something of intrigue.

All American

2009-02-07T21:13:00.002-06:00

All American, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

I'm currently exploring ideas for a new project. North Avenue in Milwaukee is an interesting place. It's not thought of as the best part of town but there exists a vibrant community. Lot's of small shops. Sure, the area has its problems but many appear to be friendly and some eager to model. I may study this area a bit more. There's a number of places on my agenda.

Icy North Point Sunrise

2009-02-01T19:53:00.001-06:00

Icy North Point Sunrise, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Sometimes, you gotta go with your hunches and act quickly. I went down to the lakefront on Saturday. It was cold, windy and cloudy. I stayed hoping for a glimpse of the sun but it was not to be. I did get some images that look decent in black and white.

I woke this morning and really didn't plan to go out shooting. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the sky was getting lighter . . . there was blue sky and clouds. I quickly grabbed my gear and went to the lakefront and was greeted by a wonderful sunrise. The light on the iceflows along the lake was warming, even for winter. The contrast of the ice with it's blue tint and the orange glow of first light made it a colorful morning.

Chicago Pier

2009-01-27T05:38:00.002-06:00

Chicago Pier, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

I decided to take a more serious look at Capture One version 4.6 and it's raw conversion. My focus is on the quality of the conversion as I can always use other software like Lightroom and Photoshop to fine tune things.

This image was not the sharpest image to begin with but I do believe that Capture One did a nice job of processing the image. I used a high contrast B&W preset that the software came with. It works well for this image since it was low in contrast owing to the overcast/dusk lighting at the time. I am liking what this software can do. Still more checking and evaluation to do.

CaptureOne, DxO Optics and Lightroom

2009-01-24T12:10:00.017-06:00

I've been doing a bit of playing with CaptureOne and DxO Optics RAW converters. To date, I really like the resulting photos from Capture One. I believe (from my very non-scientific approach) that CaptureOne's raw processing is superior to Adobe and it's the fastest of the three. I've been focusing my research solely on basic white point, color, contrast correction and less on other aspects like sharpening and noise reduction. While I like the results, here's my dilemma.

I really like Lightroom, especially since version 2 came out. The toolset is awesome as is the asset management. I find myself using photoshop only for noise reduction and specific touch ups and perspective corrections.

OK, now for the dilemma. My workflow in Lightroom keeps my most of my images in RAW. I can upload to flickr, my blog, my website, etc. directly from RAW or create an appropriately web-sized jpg as needed. I can even print from raw. I'll create jpgs if I used a print house but only convert the few images I plan to print. This has cut down significantly on my files and disk space since I have far fewer jpgs or tiffs than when I converted everything from RAW to JPG!

So, now that I see what CaptureOne (and even DxO Optics) can do, I'm frustrated that I can't seem to export the RAW files with my develop settings from CaptureOne (or DxO) to Lightroom and retain those develop settings. CaptureOne and DxO does allow a DNG export but I lose the edits. At least till now, I haven't found a way to retain the settings as I output to DNG. This would require Lightroom to manage JPGs instead of raw, or manage both and increase my disk space requirements (5D II raw files are ~25MB!).

CaptureOne:

I believe it's RAW converter is superior to Adobe as well. What it has going for it is superiorI really like the raw converter. I also find that choosing the auto white point and auto everything [command F] gives really awesome results as compared to the auto stuff in DxO, Lightroom and PS. Using these auto functions on a whole shoot is a real time saver and it's the fastest to complete processing the images.

I'm still learning the software but I bet some presets can be built to do specific things but right now I'm concentrating on the best quality raw converter. Importing from a card or camera is dead simple and automatic. The file management in CaptureOne is also very intuitive including the directory structure for importing, sorting and processing files. Manipulating images has all the usual tools for fine tuning including sharpening, noise reduction, curves, shadow/highlight and more.

DxO Optics Pro

DxO Optics is also a product of interest.

What I really like about DxO is the quality of its RAW noise reduction and is also calibrated to take into consideration specific camera and lens combinations. It will also compensate for wide angle shots where perspectives get thrown out, stretched, etc., great for architectural shots. While it can do all this automatically, it also has the ability to fine tune a large number of attributes as in CaptureOne and Adobe products. However, it's processing speed is considerably slower than either CaptureOne or Lightroom.

DxO has made attempts to be better integrated into Lightroom and offers three different ways to manage your images based on using Lightroom as the asset management tool. However, I believe in all cases this still requires doubling up on your images and managing both RAW and JPG files which I am trying to minimize. DxO offers a small guide to the three ways of setting up relationships with Lightroom depending on how you want to use each tool.

Summary to Date

I haven't made any final decisions to purchase either PhaseOne CaptureOne or DxO Optics Pro yet. I'm going to continue looking at both. Ultimately, I need to decide whether the gains of either are worth the cost versus Lightroom which I already own. Even more, is whether the incremental improvement is worth the increase in storage needs and managing a library of RAW and JPG images.

Update (1/25/09): Here's another blog that gives a more detailed comparison but it reviews Lightroom version 1.3 in the mix. CaptureOne is now up to version 4.6 and DxO version 5.3. It still provides some good detail:

http://blog.richnetapps.com/index.php/raw_lightroom_dxo_capture_one

The Monocolor of Money

2009-01-21T20:42:00.002-06:00

Milwaukee 011709 41, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

I recently moved from the burbs to downtown Milwaukee. I love it. I can actually walk from place to place. But even better, I can walk to places filled with photographic adventures. This bar, the famous Wolski's is a short distance from my new home. A perfect setting to immerse myself in black and white imagery. The whole area is filled with these opportunities. This will be fun.

Bradford Beach Iceberg

2009-01-17T20:03:00.002-06:00

Bradford Beach and Iceberg, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

I recently attended the New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge on Bradford Beach in Milwaukee. Plenty of crazy people, that's for sure. Out in the water were a few of these icebergs that aren't floating but anchored to the lake bottom. So, few days later, I returned at sunrise and was greeted by this awesome sunrise over Lake Michigan.

North Point Slide Show

2008-12-26T07:46:00.001-06:00

Slideshow created with Animoto linking Flickr images. Slideshows are created automatically based on the number of slides and the style of your music. It's a great way to create easy quick slideshows that can be, among many other things, embedded in your blog. You can doownload and post as well.

2008-12-21T07:25:00.002-06:00

I was able to get out to do some shooting yesterday and it's a good thing I did it then. Yesterday morning was a "balmy" 15 F. Today, it's a much different story at -4 F with wind chills in the -35 F range. Definitely a day to stay indoors. The scene here is a boat launch in the Third Ward of Milwaukee. I find this boat launch somewhat curious as it is located in a very industrial area of the city but offers quick access to Milwaukee Harbor and Lake Michigan.

The skies warn of the coming snow which, in this case, was only a couple of inches but adds to the foot of snow we received on Friday. And there's another storm brewing for Tuesday. Ahhh, winter in Wisconsin . . .

South Point Pipes

2008-12-19T16:35:00.002-06:00

South Point Pipes, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Long Exposure. I've been playing around with my Singh Ray vari-ND filter for some time now. I gives me a wide range of neutral density settings in a single fllter. I've seen others taking images like the one here but I've longed to put my own stamp on this technique. Exposure was 30 seconds which was long enough to give a dynamic sky and smooth water. I'd like to go further . . . maybe 2-3 minutes and show more movement in the sky.

In this case, I like the mix of industry and nature created by the pipes, the old pier and the stormy skies. The location here is the shore of Lake Michigan, south of Milwaukee. I plan to shoot more like this. Since I'm in Wisconsin, these winter months should offer plenty of similar stormy skies.