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Serendipity

Friday, July 10th, 2009
McKinley Marina

McKinley Marina

Wikipedia defines serendipity as “the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.”

Such was my experience when I went to Milwaukee’s lakefront to take pictures of the circus wagons that had been assembled for the Great Circus Parade.

I was forced by a diligent park worker to park at a distance from where the wagons were located, and I ended up parking by McKinley Marina, located right on Lake Michigan just north of Veteran’s Park. Since the sun was just rising, I notice some unique photo opportunities – first of the boats moored at the marina, and then of the reflection of the city skyline in the pond at Veteran’s Park.

Here are some of the photos I took.

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The Great Circus Parade

Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Circus Wagon

Circus Wagon

The Great Circus Parade was first held in Milwaukee in 1963, and it has been a frequent, but sporadic, visitor to Milwaukee ever since. Always subject to funding issues, the parade is once again being held in Milwaukee this Sunday -July 12, 2009.

Prior to the parade, the circus wagons are on display at Veterans Park right on the lakefront in Milwaukee. While there’s also a midway and a circus tent, the star attractions are the wagons.

The colors, the designs, the styling of the wagons – all contribute to a fanciful visit to the past when circuses and circus parades were more common.

Circus Wagon Wheel

Circus Wagon Wheel

If you get a chance to visit the wagons before the parade, I recommend getting to the park early, before large crowds obscure the wagons. I took these pictures in the early morning light (6:30 am), but you don’t need to get there that early. The midway opens at 10:00, so the best opportunities to see the wagons without the crowds is before that.

And if you’re taking pictures, look at the detail in the wagons. This picture is a close up of one of the wagon wheels – even the wheels are colorful and contain great detail.

Notice the figures and paintings on the sides of the wagons, too – each one is unique, and many offer a glimpse into past cultural differences from today.

With funding for the parade difficult to come by, this may be the last year for the parade for some time to come. Don’t miss the opportunity to see a unique part of the past here in Milwaukee.

You can see additional photos of the circus wagons by clicking here.

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Reflections

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Yesterday, I attended the monthly meeting for CoPA (Coalition of Photographic Arts). This is an organization devoted to advancing photography as an art, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Last night’s meeting provided a review of several members’ photography, and it got me thinking about some of my photography.

Miami Reflections

Miami Reflections

I often take pictures of reflections. I find that the contrast between the physical subject and its reflection intrigue me. Most often, it is water that provides the reflective surface, as in this picture taken in Miami across a small inlet. The picture has a feeling of warmth, provided by the early morning sunrise.

Water can be mirror-like in very calm conditions, or can be rippled, giving a wide variety of textures in the reflected subject. And the use of dynamic colors can really have a powerful impact in a reflected image, with the blue water and blue sky providing great contrast.

Reflections in Copley Square

Reflections in Copley Square

Other surfaces can be reflective as well, providing a different type of contrast.

This picture is of a church, taken against an office building in Copley Square, Boston. The building’s windows provide a mirror-like surface, and the structure of the building itself adds interest to the overall impact of the picture.

In this case, the physical structure of the subject (the church) is not in the picture, just its reflection. Sometimes this can provide an abstract feel to the picture, however, in this case, both the church and the office building are clearly identifiable.

Reflections on a Foggy Day

Reflections on a Foggy Day

Finally, weather can help set a mood for a reflection.

This picture shows the Milwaukee city skyline across the pond in Veterans Park on a foggy, raining day.

The rain was light enough that the surface remained fairly mirror-like. The disappearing buildings, both physical and in the reflection, give the viewer some pause as to what’s missing.

Hope you enjoy the mid-week reflections!

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Family Kite Festival

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
Family Kite Festival

Family Kite Festival

While the first day of the Family Kite Festival in Milwaukee was not a great day due to rain and low winds, the second day was great. It was sunny and bright, with strong winds.

The winds were strong enough, in fact, to keep the wings on the Burke Bries Soleil at the Milwaukee Art Museum closed for the day. So a problem for one venue worked to the advantage of another.

There were many different kinds of kites at the festival, like this star-shaped kite floating above Veteran’s Park, with the Milwaukee skyline in the background.

And lots of people took advantage of the great weather (although a spring jacket was definitely in order), bringing the whole family to either fly a kite, or watch the kites that were being flown.

Flying a Kite

Flying a Kite

This person choose to fly his kite while relaxing on his back. The winds were strong enough and steady enough that there was no need to run around in order to keep your kite aloft.

There was also a demonstration area set aside, with professional (who knew?) kite flyers demonstrating their skills with various types of kites.

The sky, however, was a bit dull, as there were no clouds to add visual impact to the pictures of the kites flying high. This makes taking an interesting photo a challenge – trying to capture the feel of the wind whipping the kite higher and higher.

To see more kite photos, click here.

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Rainy Day Photos

Monday, April 27th, 2009
Calatrava in Clouds

Calatrava in Clouds

Rain, rain, and more rain. That’s what the weekend was like here in Milwaukee. And on Sunday, the storms brought low-lying clouds and low visibility.

These conditions can create some interesting photo opportunities, so I headed to the Milwaukee lake front. One of my favorite subjects is the addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Santiago Calatrava. The Burke Bries Soleil (the wing-like structure) was open, so the only challenge was to wait out the people entering and leaving via the bridge that leads to the museum’s entrance. The effect of the clouds was to complete obscur the background – normally you would be able to see the lake and a blue or gray sky – the clouds gave made for a white background, focusing all of the attention on the museum itself.

Burke Bries Soleil

Burke Bries Soleil

It’s also good to look for different types of photos to take under the conditions. The close up of the Burke Bries Soleil on the right also works because the clouds obscur some of the detail that would normally be seen in the background, making this perspective much more dramatic than on a sunny day. Click on the picture to expand it and get the full view of the contrasting angles that make up this magnificient structure.

The overcast conditions made for great lighting at the lagoon in Veterans Park at the lake front as well. Mid-day conditions usually produce harsh shadows, but this weather produces great soft lighting that gives a peaceful feeling, as in this picture looking across the lagoon.

Milwaukee Skyline

Milwaukee Skyline

The Milwaukee skyline is obscurred by the low-lying clouds, but the lagoon is very reflective. The light rain falling is just enough to keep the lagoon from being a perfect mirror surface – so the reflections have an impressionistic feel to them.

The viewer can tell that it’s a cloudy and foggy day, since the tops of the buildings fade into the clouds, instead of being crisply defined. In fact, you’d have to be from Milwaukee to know that the building in the center is Milwaukee’s tallest building.

This picture would be quite different on a sunny day.

Reflections

Reflections

Finally, this last picture agains shows a close up view taken from a larger scene. The reeds in the lagoon form interesting shapes, and the reflections provide nice contrast.

The light rainfall can be seen in the drops of water that hit the surface of the lagoon, producing various types of ripples through the water.

So while the conditions made staying a home a tempting option, getting out offered up some unique picture taking opportunities.

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