fourpointedstar

Silver River Falls is another very accessible waterfall. Michigan Highway 26 crosses over the Silver River and there is information describing the falls and the bridge along with some parking. However, Silver River Falls isn’t one cascade; it is a series of several small cascades spread along a few hundred feet of the Silver River. This photo was taken 150 feet or so down the river and there were more cascades further downriver as well.

As you climb up the hill beside Jacob’s Falls, the question may cross your mind: “does this all count as one waterfall?” And that is a question that I have wondered many times; how much of a stream’s length must exist between cascades of water before they are considered distinct falls?

Jacob’s Falls is kinda the perfect Upper Peninsula waterfall. It’s small and unassuming, but literally 20 feet away from the edge of the road. There would be people like myself who would search it out if it were hidden in a forest, but really, the reason that it has a name is because of the highway.

You can easily view this dam and falls from a pedestrian bridge over the Eagle River, and as I stood on that bridge, I was impressed by the manmade dam that has stood for (I assume) nearly a century or more. But I was also saddened that I will never see this waterfall tumbling down the rock face with the intensity that nature intended.

If you take a beginners’ photography class, your instructor is likely to bring up leading lines, rule of thirds, and removing items that aren’t needed as some of the keys to a great photo. I’d like to think that those are the reasons that I love this photo, but it’s probably only because I love the color red combined with the yellow hints in the center-line trim work.

You can imagine the monstrous noise that this small drop would create during the spring flow, but on a random day in early October it’s a peaceful and tranquil scene.

I felt very bad for this little spider; it was just blowing in the wind on this tiny flower and twitching its legs every time that another insect came by. There was just 1 problem, this little spider was about the size of a grain of rice, and the bugs that were coming by? They were several times its size.

The information that I’d gleaned in the 16 hours since I started asking locals about waterfalls had led me to believe that there were three waterfalls – Upper, Middle, Lower. Once I’d found the third waterfall, I hopped back into my car and headed onto the next stop in my day. I only found out a few days later that the Lower Falls is only a few hundred feet downstream from these falls!

When I first planned my trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula, I planned on spending the day (Monday) visiting most of the lighthouses; any waterfalls that I could find along the way would just be a bonus. After my trip, I purchased Phil Stagg’s excellent “Waterfalls of Michigan” series of books and discovered that there were 6 waterfalls named “Hungarian”; I only visited the middle 3.  I guess I’ll have to take a trip back in 2025, right?

The Hungarian Falls is a series of cascades just outside of Hubbell along Dover Creek. I particularly enjoyed the distinct trickles of water in the Upper Falls.

If you’ve known me or followed my photography for a while, you’ll know that I love photographing waterfalls. I’ve lived in the Chicago area for the past 15+ years, and I assumed that I knew about all of the naturally occurring waterfalls in Northern Illinois. But…one of my friends visited Sagawau Canyon Nature Preserve; well that sounds cool – a “canyon” in the Chicago area! And when I looked up the location, I found a random photo on Flickr that indicated that there was a waterfall in that canyon!

So, the next free day, I drove down to see the canyon and waterfall. Well, both the canyon and waterfall within are protected areas due to rare and endangered species of plants, and that is why there are very few photos of either. However, if you stand at the right spot on the walking trail’s bridge, you can see the waterfall … in all of its mid-summer trickle! Needless to say, I’ll be back to photograph this location when the stream has more volume.

During her interview, Lauri Novak showed us her photo project where she photographed shadows around the house – this photo is an homage to her project!

When we visited St Louis with the marching band in 2022, this was the view out of our hotel room. The night before, I wandered around near the Arch, and captured some fantastic photos, but in the morning this was our view – absolutely spectacular!

The day of the most recent solar eclipse was very sunny in southern Indiana, and this little hoverfly was taking full advantage of the sun and the spring flowers.

Last year, we began completely recreating our south-facing yard as a prairie with native plants. I have always loved the look of these and their gorgeous stringy mop of a hairdo!

Watching the ants crawl across the peonies is a special kinda of therapy; my goal when attempting to capture this photo was to get an ant in the photo. The ants, however, we’re very cooperative, so instead I captured a bit more abstract of an image.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

Whenever I attend car shows, I try to take some time to walk through the spectator’s parking lot. This Mustang was just sitting there, looking angry, waiting for someone to take a photo.
While I was taking the photo, another Mustang owner parked right next to this car and asked me if it was my car – sadly no.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

Most folks from the Chicago area will recognize that darker building, but why is the light blue building taller? I didn’t notice this trick of angles and perspective when I photographed this scene, but now I love the photo even more.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

The concrete and glass exterior of the building on the south side of Wells becomes the perfect canvas for abstract architecture presented by the stepped exterior of the top of the building on the north side of Wells.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

This fantastic oddity was captured from street level, and I just love all of the distortion. I’ve photographed the curved fascade of the building on the corner of Wells & Hubbard a few times, but always from the 4th or 5th floor of the parking garage with light trails in mind.
(This photo was from a photo walk that I led back in April.)

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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!

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

Just a little trickle of a falls that I captured on my way back from the eclipse earlier this year. This waterfall would probably not make it onto anyone’s map or highlights, but at 3 to 4 feet tall, it is just a fun little falls to enjoy.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

I’m drawn to reflections; the warbling that a window provides adds so much more interest to the scene. In this photo, you are actually looking at 3 different buildings, can you see each one?

Not all buildings are architecturally interesting. But every building has aspects that can lead to an interesting photo – like this stairwell in a parking gararge! And yes, I know that these doors are not in the correct stoplight order.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

Maybe it’s just me, but seeing the Sears/Willis Tower poking out from a scene was THE Chicago moment growing up. For a few years, my family lived on the south side, and it was a contest among the siblings to see who could see the skyline, specifically the Sears Tower, first when we would drive into the city.

On a recent photo walk, I found this little “window” created by the L tracks, the incredible rusty exterior contrasting with the sky, the Willis Tower, and the Merchandise Mart. I had to hop in between traffic on 2 different occasions to get this exposure correct; the afternoon sky was quite the contrast compared with the shadowed steel. This photo is one of my Top 3 favorite recent Chicago photos.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

The simplicity of this photo is what allows the three distinct shades of blue to stand out.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

At nearly every car show or meet, it’s difficult to get a great photo of a “cool” car. However, capturing an iconic detail is often a matter of patience.

Everyone has seen a photograph of a Lamborghini which makes photographing a Lamborghini in a unique way an interesting challenge.  How can I photograph this famous supercar in a way that is familiar but also new and interesting?  The direct sunlight helped so much in this photo, bringing out the shine in the rim and the paint job, but I am also fond of the double point in the nose of the car.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

As I headed north from Cataract Falls to Turkey Run, I mostly meandered through the back roads. On one road there was a sign “Cagles Mill Dam” pointing to a side road. The road ended right before it crossed the top of the dam wall; honestly, it was a pretty impressive view. But I noticed that the downstream area appeared to be a rocky canyon, and as I drove down to the bottom of the damn, I was rewarded with this tiny waterfall – maybe a total of 4 or 5 feet tall.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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?

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

cz

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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!

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

I’m back to those photos from my October waterfalls trip – Copper Falls State Park is absolutely incredible; four waterfalls with so many great trails too! The main entrance to the parking lot is up that river channel, and you’re actually looking upriver in this photo. But what you can’t see is the 10ft falls at the bottom of the image, and the 35ft Brownstone Falls just a little farther onward. It was a very impressive view, and someday I’ll have to go back and take a lot more time to wander.
You can see all of my images from Copper Falls here.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

I had not originally planned on visiting Durward’s Glen Waterfall on my July trip, it just happened to be “along the way”. However, just the canyon was well worth the trip; it was absolutely gorgeous, and even though you’re surrounded by a Catholic campground & getaway, it feels miles away from anyone else.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

To reach the (very small) waterfall at Durward’s Glen, you have to hike along the stream, and once you get past a certain point, through the stream. What you can’t see in this photo is the “Private Property” signs on the right hand bank.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…