Hints of Fall

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.

Solitude. Tranquil. Peaceful.

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.

More Wind Point

Feeling Spring

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.

Canon ID Mark IV

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.

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.

Bradford Beach Iceberg

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 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.

Milwaukee Harbor Dawn

Posted via Pixelpipe.