Tagged: sky

 

There were two trees that simply glowed yellow in the afternoon as I drove through my neighborhood. When I got home, I picked up my camera and walked around the block capturing the various autumn scenes, including this tree. I could have placed a lawn chair underneath it and stared into the majestic canopy for the rest of the afternoon, but I have a feeling the neighbor would have asked me to leave.

 

 

There are certain architectural elements that lend themselves to odd, abstract photographs, but in some instances, you must create the abstract image. As I walked around ECC some images just made sense – the concrete ceiling under the elevated walkway and the outdoor metal staircase. But the staircase’s metal railing and marbled look, I knew there was a photo; but as long as it was right side up, it just looked like stairs…

 

 

At this particular corner at the southwest corner of Herrick Forest Preserve, there are two trees standing alone.  They’re not full, in fact that they’re kinda odd, but they make fantastic silhouettes against the pre-dawn hues of the late summer.

 

 

There may only be a couple of weeks each year when the sun lines up perfectly with the doors on this building to create this photo.  If the sun is any lower, then the trees just outside the doors will block the rays too.  Opportunities like this abound everyday, we just have to pay attention … and bring a camera. 

 

 

It gets harder and harder to capture different or unique angles of cars at car shows.  I have hundreds of photos of antique car details and thousands of photos of cars; so at each show that I attend now, I am looking for something different, a new sight – like photographing a classic through a hood.

 

I first saw this car at the Elgin History Museum Classic Car Show; it wasn’t in a great spot to capture a photo of the entire car, but I captured a very minimalist photo of the hood ornament (“Sleek Lines”, July 26, 2025).  The owner was sitting directly behind the car at the South Elgin show and explained that the “hood ornament” is also the hood handle.  This was such a cool car to photograph. 🙂

 

This is the “classic car” – the 55 to 57 Chevy Belair, a true work of art.  Its very interesting to see the style and design change each year; a 1955 Belair shows what the new style will be, but the details are more reserved, and by the time the “57 Chevy” came out, “reserved” was not the word you would use for the car at all.

 

I tried this photo a week before with a tree in the background, and it just didn’t work.  I posted the photo simple because it was unique, but now that I have this image?  I like that other photo even less! LOL. I love the balance of color and detail and the overall saturation as well! 

 

I’m new to this – drone photography; but I already love it, I can make shapes and abstracts out of our surroundings. Since I have a small drone, there are limitations to height, so my original vision of a photo of all of Walton Island taken from directly overhead didn’t work out, but that’s part of photography; adapting to your limitations to capture a new scene.

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Oh my goodness, this car’s plate made me laugh out loud at the show. And I think what made it funnier is the juxtaposition of the meme-worthy license plate and the 1930’s classic Ford Coupe. But, even without the plate, this car deserved to be captured as a monochrome.

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Speaking of cars at auto shows … it feels like the most common car at most community autoshows is the Ford Mustang. So in keeping with my theme of “the most common car show color is red”, here is a very red steering wheel and dash on a Ford Mustang.

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Well, I did mention that there are so many red cars at car shows, but there are also so many mid-50’s Chevy coupes. And while I love their style and beauty, it is definitely harder and harder to find that original and create photo.

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an abstracted car…
During a chat with some friends, our conversation wandered past the topic of “how do you know that you have captured a great photo?”
When it comes to photos from car shows, I love to capture a new view, a new angle, a new interpretation. Only sometimes does it lead to a “great” photo, but it is a continual challenge to my skills as a creative photographer … to create an image that I haven’t seen before of a car that I’ve seen hundreds of times.
~ 1956 Chevrolet Belair coupe

 

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“Headed Somewhere”

May 12th, 2025

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The shadows from the melting ice or snow rolling down the glass were the perfect addition to all of the angles in this photo.

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Santiago Calatrava’s buildings never fail to impress. They’re almost always futuristic, but often can be mistaken for an animal in some kind of animated reality. Even his art installation in Chicago has a fluid and natural motion to it.

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If you crane your neck and look UP under Calatrava’s wonderful design, the view is magnificent!

 

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Perhaps someday I will grow tired of capturing the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum, but for now, I love visiting that building. The whites and blues and sunlight are the perfect painters of abstract patterns; I can’t wait to go back!

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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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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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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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“Sky Palette”

April 20th, 2023

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“Architecture Abstract”

April 18th, 2023

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“Waves Into the Sky”

April 17th, 2023

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