Milwaukee Nights

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.

North Point Revisited

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.

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.

Making Lemonade from a Lemon

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

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

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

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.

The Monocolor of Money

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.

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 . . .

North Point Sunrise 2

North Point Sunrise 2, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Now that I'm itchy to play with my new Canon 5D Mark II, what better place to put it to the test than sunrise at North Point on Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee. It's a favorite spot for many local photographers and I often see the same friends also checking out the sunrise. If it's a nice sunrise that morning, the chatter is minimal while we all set up and compose our images. If the sunrise is so, so, we spend the time talking about photography, the weather or whatever strikes us at the moment.

North Point Tree

North Point 111708-23, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

It was a spur of the moment decision but I ventured down to the lakefront to visit North Point yet again. It was a cloudy but not really stormy day. I shot with my IR converted camera to capture this scene. While not you're traditional IR shot, I really like what IR can do with moody scenes such as this. When I first converted my camera to IR, I figured I would be shooting nothing but green foliage. My opinion has now changed . . . and I think I'll be using this all winter long.

Milwaukee Harbor LIghthouse II

Milwaukee Harbor LIghthouse II, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

It was a beautiful pastel morning. However, I decided to play with some lightroom presets. I love the clarity slider in LR version 2 since you can now add negative clarity. It gives this image its ethereal glow.

Milwaukee Harbor Dawn

Posted via Pixelpipe.

No announcement on April 22nd

I've been waiting.  Ever since the rumor mill started about Canon's replacement for the 5D, I've been waiting for the official launch.  I was hopeful that it was going to be on the 22nd but the day came and went.  Even the blogosphere didn't have much to say.  Ah well, so much for rumors.

This morning I ventured out toward the Menomonee Valley in Milwaukee.  It's a place rich with Milwaukee history and it's also a place with exciting revitalization.  I'm glad to see they are focusing on sustainable development for the area but in a way, I hope some of that rich history is preserved.

I was walking along the 16th St. bridge this morning as was able to find a place through the chain link fence to capture the images above.  I love this kind of photography and the valley seems to be rich in these opportunities.  I guess I'll just have to spend a lot more time there.