fourpointedstar

Would these buildings be considered twins, just wearing different clothes?
Siblings?
Cousins?
Either way, these two buildings on Grove Street are wonderful examples of Elgin’s historic downtown.

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Elgin has so many wonderful buildings. This one on Douglas Avenue is very interesting, the fancier façade partially extends to the side which implies that this wasn’t going to be as visible, but there are windows which implies that there wasn’t going to be a building immediately next to it… (Ok, so maybe not “very interesting” only “interesting”.)

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I tend to edit my photos based on how they “feel” and one of those feelings is balance.” The photo should appear balanced, but the sad part is that I don’t know that I could quantify what makes a photo balanced … but I know it when I capture the photograph or in most cases, when I edit the photograph.

Sarah and I took a day trip up to visit family in Milwaukee and on the way took a walk through Milwaukee. I may enjoy reflections in windows more than any other kinds of architecture photography.

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I know, I know … all that I did was turn the photo sideways, but when an architect lays out clean lines, and there’s a wonderfully warped reflection, well … that’s all that I needed to do, right?

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cz

As Sarah and I walked past 833 Michigan Street, we both noticed the modern abstract fixture hanging in the lobby. The installation definitely feels at home inside of the the large glass lobby, but the reflection of the US Bank building in the same windows blocked the view of the fixture. Fortunately, the contrast between the two makes a compelling photograph.

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cz

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If you start looking, the reflections of any town will provide dynamic views and photographs. I love the unfinished nature of this photo; how the angle of the foreground building gives the appearance of an unfinished canvas that drops into the negative space provided by the soft blue sky. You will find many reflections throughout my architecture photography, and I know that there will be more to come as well!

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Why, yes, I did enjoy taking photos of the Chihuly installation at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Some day, Sarah and I will make it out to Seattle to his museum…

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There were several of these kinds of infinite depth items; the previous yellow photo is another example. However, this installation was different, there were more than a dozen of these cubes stacked on each other, and the blue lights’ activity was somewhat responsive to the people passing by. It definitely reminded me of something futuristic, like maybe it represented the vastness of space.

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We took the girls to the WNDR Museum – which if you’re not sure what that is, you should think “Instagram/Snapchat scenes”. It was honestly really cool; and several of the art installations were very well done. Each of the girls found a couple of rooms that they really enjoyed interacting with.

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Some of my favorite images over the years have been my more abstract images and the images with a strong use of negative space. The “bird’s wings” floating in the void of the blue sky was absolutely beautiful on the day of our visit, and I also enjoy the simplicity of the monochrome image.

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Anytime that I visit a location for a second or third time, I want to take photos that are unique to each visit. Which means that with each visit the photos get more challenging but the images get more inventive. The intersection of lines in the pavilion is full of unique images and surprises.

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Each glass facade was a different shade, with the 3rd panes being pink. Overall the exhibit was simple and yet delightful; I’m not one for reading into art, but I definitely enjoyed viewing and attempting to capture the Icebergs uniquely.

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There are always new views and angles at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The spire that supports the suspension bridge is such an understated portion of this entire building. The simplicity of those understated lines leads to the entire building’s exceptional beauty.

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Can 16 pieces of glass arranged in 4 identical sets be photogenic?

After seeing a few fellow photographers capture this installation, I wanted to see the abstract art. I have photographed Calatrava’s Quadracci Pavilion before, and I really enjoyed integrating that architecture with “Iceberg”.

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I remember the first time that I experienced the “Sneak Pass”; we lived in Pensacola at the time, and the Blue Angels were flying their end-of-the-season show. The Diamond formation flies off to one side, and while you’re looking over to the left and the right, one of the Solos sneaks up behind the crowd. Even today, knowing that its going to happen, it’s still impressive!

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While I’m certain that at certain times of the year the Devil’s Punchbowl has a torrent of water flowing through it; it’s plainly obvious by this tiny channel that most of the time, its a small trickle.

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The staircase in the Ironwood Theater was absolutely gorgeous! (And we’ve already established that I like photographing staircases.)

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I have always loved the more abstract forms in architecture and row after row of seating is no exception.  The Ironwood Theater had these chairs produced to be as close to the original seating as possible, and the chairs come in various widths so that you’re not always staring at the head in front of you.

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The Ironwood Theater is nearly 100 years old (built in 1928). Starting 30 years ago, a group of volunteers began restoring the theater to its former glory, and you can definitely see portions of their handiwork through the photos this week.

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While we were on our October waterfall trip, our guide arranged for us to visit the Historic Ironwood Theater in Ironwood, Michigan. The theater has been beautifully restored, and they use this film projector to show classic films.

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I have a collection of stairs photos; so from the moment that I saw Lauri’s photo of this staircase, I knew that I had to photograph it and add it to my collection.

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I’ve captured many images from this location over the past 15 years, but it’s only been the past 2 or 3 years that I tried to capture light trails of the Wells Street bridge’s CTA tracks. I love the light trails in this photo, now I just need to capture a bicyclist with lights on their bike riding down the river walk ramp.

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