2015 Year in Review: My Top 10 Favorite Photos

 

My goal for 2015 was to go places around Southeastern Wisconsin that I had never visited before.  While I did re-visit a lot of my favorite places, such as the Mitchell Park Domes, Boerner Botanical Gardens and the Milwaukee Art Museum, I did accomplish my goal and had a great year because of it.  One place I visited will be featured in a blog post next year (stay tuned!). 

 

So as 2015 nears its end, I wanted to showcase my Top 10 favorite photos that I took this past year.  The one above of Lake Michigan I would put at number 11.  Here are my Top 10:

 

10) Through the Trees, Mequon Nature Preserve

 



This fall, I visited the Mequon Nature Preserve for the first time, and tried something new with  my photography by aiming up and capturing the colors backlit, hoping to create a photo that's more like a painting.  I loved the result, and I will try this technique more this coming summer.

9) Fall Rose, Waukesha's Frame Park

I had to kill some time in Waukesha in mid-October and decided to visit Frame Park to get some photos of the fall colors before they were gone. Normally by this time, outdoor garden flowers have shriveled and are on the verge of dying, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the rose garden and saw that a lot of them were still in full bloom with little damage. Also, despite the fact I was taking photos at 10:00 a.m., the shorter day made the light softer and came at the flowers at an angle, making it look like it was shot earlier in the morning.

8) Green Dahlia, Boerner Botanical Garden

My annual visit to Boerner Botanical Garden was especially fruitful on this day in July, mostly due to the fact that I arrived in the middle of a downpour, which meant I could finally get good shots of flowers with drops of water on them.  But, my favorite photo of the day ended up being this green dahlia.  I took a lot of photos of this flower from many different angles, but coming at it head-on turned out to be the best.  In Photoshop, I added more black to the photo using the Levels tool to make the background even darker to make the dahlia really stand out.

7) "The Calling" and the Milwaukee Art Museum

I visited the Milwaukee Art Museum in November during their Free First Thursday and, since the museum was closed for remodeling except for their special exhibit, I had time to get some photos of the O'Donnell Park area just west of the museum.  Since it was a weekday, I was able to finally get a good photo of "The Calling" a famous statue on the corner of Wisconsin and Prospect Avenues without anyone else around.  It's often better to get a shot of the museum (in the background) when the "wings" are up, but I kind of like the simplicity of the building in this photo and how it lines up well with the statue.

6) Classic Red Automobile, Pewaukee Lake

Another first for me this year was going to the Antique Boat & Classic Car Show on Pewaukee Lake in August.  I had a great time experimenting with different angles of shooting, mostly with the automobiles.  But the simple shot of this red car with the art deco hood ornament and chrome stripe turned out to be my favorite of the day.

5) Yellow Flower, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

Not only did I get a good workout while "hiking" through the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center on Lake Michigan for the first time this summer, but I managed to get this photo of a very tiny yellow flower despite the breeze off the lake.  It turned out to be one of my most liked photos that I posted this year as well.

4) Main Building, Wisconsin Soldiers Home

Another first visit, and the one that I wished I'd gone to sooner.  The Wisconsin Soldiers Home near Miller Park is a state treasure!  The majority of the buildings are now fenced off due to construction (which is a great thing), but I was determined to get a photo of the gothic main building.  I was kind of happy that the bottom of the building had fencing in front of it.  It forced me to angle my camera way up and I was able to get the tower against the cloudless blue sky (no Photoshopping needed).  This is a place I will return to.

3) Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

One of a handful of buildings in Wisconsin designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on Milwaukee's north side is one of the city's most photographed landmarks .  I went there early in the morning and found out that the best part of the church actually faces west.  However, I did get a couple of good photos including this one that makes the building look like a face.

2) Hoyt Park Bridge, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

I've only lived in Wauwatosa for two years, but one of my favorite places in the city is Hoyt Park which includes this wonderful bridge over the Menomonee River.  I went to the park in early fall and vowed to get a decent shot of the bridge since I had seen so many good ones online.  The morning after our first (and so far only) snowfall of the latter part of the year, I knew the park would be a great place to get snow shots.  Since it was early (and cold), there were hardly any other people around, and I got my shot of the bridge.  I think I will try and get one good photo of the bridge in each season next year.

1) Red Barn, Richfield Historical Park

I had never been to Richfield, Wisconsin until this past summer, although I had driven by the town on the way to other places north of Milwaukee.  I went up there to visit the Richfield Historical Park and attend a summer art festival, and I was blown away at how large and awesome the park was.  Once a working farm and sawmill, the park is a historical landmark that hosts festivals and events throughout the year.  Think of it as a smaller version of Old World Wisconsin.  As I was heading into the art festival, I saw this red barn, original to the settlement, and the dappled sunlight that fell on the grass.  The problem was one of the artists had their trailer sitting a few feet to the left of where I was standing, and moving any more to the right would make the trees block the barn.  So I turned my camera to make a portrait photo, and zoomed in as close as I could to cut out the trailer and keep the composition I had in my head.  I don't know if the photo is a great one, but it is my favorite.

I do have some ideas for "photography goals" I want to accomplish in 2016.  I want to try experimenting more with black-and-white photography (which I might do later today), I want to travel outside of southeastern Wisconsin to Oshkosh and LaCrosse, and I might do a series of posts on Milwaukee's different neighborhoods. 

How about you?  What to do you want to do with your photography in 2016?  Feel free to post in the comments!

More Fun on 4 Wheels: The West Allis Classic Car Show

A few weeks ago, I went to a really cool auto show in West Allis, Wisconsin, a southern suburb of Milwaukee.  It was named, appropriately, The West Allis Classic Car Show, put on by downtown West Allis and celebrating its 25th year.  If you've read my previous blog posts, you know this wasn't my first photography expedition at a classic car show.  But I did learn some new tricks to getting better photos at any car show.

First, it's best if you can go to one of these car shows on an overcast day.  Sunny skies tend to make the paint jobs on some automobiles too bright (especially reds and pinks), make reflections more noticeable, and cause glare and sunspots.  The same goes for photographing flowers.

Also, find unique angles.  It's easy to get into a rut of always photographing the automobiles' grills, bumpers, fenders, dashboards, etc.  Change up your perspective and don't be afraid to crouch low to make the automobile look massive.  I admit I'm not in the best of shape, and the "squatting" took its toll on my legs the next few days, but the photos were worth the pain.

One part of these classic cars that's always fascinated me are the hood ornaments.  As a big fan of art deco design, I think these unique ornaments add class, sophistication and all-around great interest to these automobiles. 

A good rule of thumb is to photograph these ornaments like you would flowers. If you have a DSLR, put the camera in Aperture Priority mode (for Canons) and bring your f-stop down as low as you can.  Then make sure your lens is on Manual Focus, lock the focus on the ornament itself, and push the button.  This will blur out anything behind the ornament (especially people if it's crowded) and make the ornament nice and sharp.

I think the car pictured below, is the oldest automobile I've ever seen at a classic car show.  I believe it is from 1909.

The West Allis Classic Car Show was a better event than I thought it would be.  There were tons of great classic cars to see it was hard not to photograph them all.  I'm already looking forward to attending my next classic automobile show.

Summer Recap: The Pewaukee Antique Boat & Classic Car Show

Normally in most areas, there will be a boat show or a car show.  But, as I found out this summer in Pewaukee Wisconsin, they have an annual classic boat AND car show.  Apparently, this show has been around for 11 years, and I just found out about it this year (oh, if only I'd known).  But I have to say, it was one of the most impressive events I've come across in southeastern Wisconsin in many years.

I actually found out about this event thanks to Art's Camera, which sponsors monthly "Focus Group" events where local photographers can get together and meet at various places and events.  I saw a lot of photographers at the event, as well as members of the Plein Air Painters of America.

First, let me talk about the boats.  There were a lot of custom-crafted boats from all over Wisconsin for people to see on Pewaukee Lake.  I was thrilled to see that each boat had its own theme as well as the creativity & pride these boat-owners had for their watercrafts.

They did have some classic boats on display as well.

The highlight for me was all of the classic cars they had on display.  I got to the event early (it started at 9:00 am) and enjoyed watching as the car owners maneuvered their way along the lakefront to get their prime spot to be viewed.

I have photographed classic cars before.  In fact, their one of my favorite subjects.  At this event, I tried using the same shallow depth-of-field I use when photographing flowers to isolate the most interesting part of the cars, especially the hood ornaments.  But three of the photos from that day became some of my most favorite photos I've ever taken.  They are shown below:

I will definitely make it a point to attend this event next summer.  It's not only a great way to spend a summer day but it's located on one of the most beautiful lakes in Wisconsin.

Ornaments of the Hood

This is my very first Alphabe-Thursday, and this week's letter is "O".  So, I was having a hard time coming up with a subject that began with "O" until I started looking through my online folders of pictures and remembered I had taken some shots of hood ornaments at the Waukesha Old Car Show at Frame Park earlier this month.  I love how hood ornaments back in the day were sleek and Art Deco in nature, like small sculptures.  So enjoy these few hood ornament photos, and I'll be back to Alphabe-Thursday next week for "P".

Road Trip: Wisconsin Auto Museum

Yesterday, I spent our area's first 90 degree day for the year 30 minutes north of Milwaukee in Hartford, where I visited the Wisconsin Automobile Museum.  They had an impressive 2-story collection of cars, trucks and other motorized vehicles, mostly from two of Wisconsin's best known manufacturers, Nash and Kissel.  Both manufacturers are out of business now, but in their heydays, they were great contributors to our state's job market.

The museum didn't present their automobiles chronologically, which was kind of nice, since you could find a car from 1948 located next to one from the 1920's, so it was kind of an adventure.  They did house most of their early-20th century vehicles together, which you can see above and from my photos below:

Ford Model T

The rest of the lower level contained automobiles spanning from the 1920's to the 1950's as seen below:

 They even had a Tucker automobile, for anyone that remembers the Jeff Bridges movie, Tucker: A Man and His Dream:

The upper level had automobiles from the 1950's to 1990, where they had a Mazda Miata on display.  They had Chevys and Studebakers:

A Rambler, just like the one on "3rd Rock From The Sun":

Jeeps:

A Delorean, Back To The Future-style:

And an Excalibur, which I'd never heard of before, but found very interesting:

Also, on the upper level, they had a locomotive, which I believe they were in the process of restoring.  I wasn't sure if I was allowed in that area, but I went in anyway and took these two shots:

 I had a very enjoyable day at the Wisconsin Automobile Museum.  The only downside was I hoped to see an Edsel, but there wasn't one to be found.  I did get to see a lot of unique, classic automobiles, and you can too.  For more information, go to http://wisconsinautomuseum.com/.