Getting My Grit

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.

Jones Island

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

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.