Archive for the 'Black and White' Category

North Point Lighthouse

September 23rd, 2010

The North Point Lighthouse is one of Milwaukee’s treasures. The current lighthouse is 74 feet tall and when it was in operation it contained a Forth Order Fresnel Lens. In 2007, the lighthouse and keepers house were completely restored to early 20th century splendor and are now open to the public for tours and visits.

The history of this light is very interesting. It was originally built in 1855 on a bluff 100 feet east of it’s present location. The first tower was 28 feet in height, but because it was on the bluff, it towered 107 feet above Lake Michigan.

In the 1870′s, shore erosion along the bluff caused 16 feet of the lighthouse’s front yard to fall to the the beach below, so the government decided to rebuild the lighthouse 100 feet farther inland. The new lighthouse was finished in 1887 and was 39 feet tall. The keepers quarters were built the next year in 1888.

At the turn of the century another problem hit the lighthouse, the trees in Lake Park began to block the light and ships on the lake could no longer see it. So instead of cutting the trees down, congress in all of it’s wisdom, stopped funding for the lighthouse and it was shut down in 1907. Later that year an organization in Milwaukee went to work to get the light back on. In 1909 a bill was passed and in 1912 work began on a 35 foot steel structure next to the lighthouse. When that structure was finished, the old light tower and it’s lens were rebuilt on top of it to create the 74 foot tower we see today. The lighthouse remained in operation by the US Coast Guard until 1994. The lighthouse is currently owned by Milwaukee County and leased by the North Point Lighthouse Friends.

This photo didn’t take much thought, the composition was right there in front of me. The trees grow in such a way that the lighthouse is perfectly framed by them. Whether the trees grow like that naturally, or have been trimmed that way, I don’t know. It sure makes for a great photo though.

I knew immediately that this was going to be a black and white image. I wasn’t looking to give it an old time feel, I just wanted a nice black and white photo. The contrast of the white house and tower work great with the dark trees. Though the sky is overcast and washed out, it isn’t as much of an issue in black and white as it is in color. I really like how this image turned out.

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HMS Bounty

August 19th, 2010

One of the great joys of the Green Bay Tall Ships Parade of Sail was seeing the HMS Bounty. When she rounded the corner and came into view, it took my breath away. What a beautiful ship! I think I shot more photos of her than any other ship in the parade.

The Bounty is a replica of the original Bounty that was part of the British Navy in 1787. She was built in 1960 for MGM Studios for the movie Mutiny on the Bounty. The original drawings from the British admiralty archives were used in the building of the ship. She is currently owned by the HMS Bounty Organization LLC, and is used for educational purposes and the teaching of square rigged sailing.

The Bounty has also been in many other movies. She played a roll in Pirates of the Caribbean II, and was also in the modern version of Treasure Island, just to mention a couple.

My next rendezvous with the Bounty will be in Port Washington this weekend. I’m so looking forward to seeing her close up and walking her decks. I’m sure there are hundreds of photos just waiting to be taken on the wonderful ship.

To learn more about the HMS Bounty, visit her web site at TallShipBounty.org

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Covered Bridge, Waupaca WI

July 30th, 2010

This beautiful covered bridge was photographed in Waupaca, WI at a place called The Red Mill. We visited the bridge in the autumn of 2009 while on our fall colors trip into Central Wisconsin.

Making a black and white image of this photo has been an interesting project for me. I’ve worked on it off and on for months, thinking all along that it would make a great mono chrome image, but never finding  that special combination of contrast, light and emotion that makes black and white so special.

I think one of the problems had to do with the color version of this image, I really like it. It’s a very nice picture with lots of fall color in it. So taking away that color was a difficult thing to do. Yet something kept telling me that this would make a great black and white.

A couple of nights ago I began playing with the picture again, and once again I couldn’t find what I wanted. I even resorted to using some Lightroom presets, but nothing worked. Then I tried something that I’ve been doing with my renaissance faire portraits but have never done with a landscape, I washed out the edges with a whitish vignette. The image jumped off the monitor at me!  There it was, this is what I had been searching for. The vignette laid the groundwork for all that was to follow and within an hour I had my mono chrome version of the covered bridge.

I guess the lesson learned is to always experiment because you never know what will work.

Stormy Clouds Over Kenosha Harbor

June 26th, 2010

As you’re driving along the shore of Lake Michigan just north of Kenosha WI, you come upon this cool view of the harbor area to the south. I’ve loved this view since the first time I saw it.

On this day it was quite beautiful with the stormy clouds flying in the air and the play of light and shadows on the water. I didn’t even notice this shot at first. There were five kite boarders on the lake and I was photographing them. I happen to look to my right just in time to catch this image. Luckily I had just changed from my telephoto lens to a wider angle one when I saw it.

I guess the lesson learned is to always have your head on swivel and be looking all around. If I had stayed focused on closeups of the kite boarders I most would most likely have missed this beautiful scene off in the distance.

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