My First Nikon Camera

My First Nikon Camera

Every photographer has a favorite camera.  Whether it is their first or the newest one, fresh out of the box, one camera has special place on the shelf, in the camera bag, or in the heart.  Mine is my first Nikon camera – the F2.  I’m fuzzy on exactly how I came to possess it, but…… Continue reading My First Nikon Camera

Man in the Mirror

Man in the Mirror

“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.” –Ernest Holmes This is the view of my desk I see almost everyday.  I sit down here to jot down crazy ideas and thoughts, create to-do lists, and sometimes (or a lot of the time!) stare at blank sheets…… Continue reading Man in the Mirror

Concrete and the Landing

Concrete and the Landing

A beam of light marches down across a concrete wall and falls on a metal staircase landing.   The newly renovated Milwaukee Art Museum is a treasure trove of photographable textures, materials, shapes, and details.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time there recently (see here and here), and I still feel like I haven’t…… Continue reading Concrete and the Landing

New Addition

The New Addition: Milwaukee Art Museum

I find structures like the new addition to the the Milwaukee Art Museum so fascinating.  The combination of harsh lines and solid rectangular shapes with the floor to ceiling glass atrium and metal facade is so…well, so damn cool.  Buildings like this just beg to be photographed! Who am I to  ignore what the building wants? Completed…… Continue reading New Addition

Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial

For Memorial Day, where we honor those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country,  I visited the Southeastern Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  The three Wausau Red Granite columns stand 22, 26, and 30 feet high and represent those killed in action, POW/MIA(s), and those returned home.   There are five granite benches (not pictured)…… Continue reading Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Milwaukee County War Memorial Center

Milwaukee County War Memorial Center

The Milwaukee County War Memorial Center looking east across Lake Michigan.  Designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, construction on the center began in 1955.  Heavily influenced by the abstract geometry of French architect Le Corbusier,  Saarinen incorporated many of Le Corbusier’s ideas:  lifting the majority of the building off the ground on columns, eliminating load-bearing walls to create open floor plans, and…… Continue reading Milwaukee County War Memorial Center

The Ideal Space

The Ideal Space

On a long holiday weekend, is there better place to be than right here?  As architect Luis Barragán once said, “I think that the ideal space must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery.”  Yep, I think we have all four of those here. Taken on the beach along the Seven Bridges Trail in Grant Park,…… Continue reading The Ideal Space

Hidden Stairway

Hidden Stairway

A mostly hidden outdoor stairway at the Milwaukee Art Museum.  My goal today was to capture a few exterior details of the newly renovated and expanded museum building.   Situated on the lower level below the War Memorial Center,  the six-year, $34 million  renovation project culminated with the November 2015 grand re-opening.  With floor to ceiling windows facing…… Continue reading Hidden Stairway

Every Day Dilemma

Every Day Dilemma

The dilemma of a life as a freelance photographer and 3D/2D motion graphics artist is you must find a way to balance family time, client needs, personal projects, relaxation time, and the mundane but necessary tasks of running a business.   It’s enough to drive you crazy at times – being at the center of a…… Continue reading Every Day Dilemma

Outside the Box

Think Outside the Box

Thinking outside the box.  That is something we hear quite often.  But we are all conditioned to think the same, do things the way they have always been done, and do what is customary.  And that certainly applies when it comes to learning and growing as a photographer.  Whether you are a beginner or a…… Continue reading Outside the Box

Door Knob and Skeleton Key

Door Knob and Skeleton Key

It is a bit unsettling, when in the back corner of an old,  hot, dark , and dusty attic,  you find a locked door, complete with skeleton key, to a very small fully finished room.   With all of the scary movies, creepy stories, terrifying urban legends, and disturbing real life events, your imagination can’t help…… Continue reading Door Knob and Skeleton Key

The Armchair in the Attic

The Armchair in the Attic

“The past is an old armchair in the attic, the present an ominous ticking sound, and the future is anybody’s guess.” –James Thurber The two-flat in which we live has two units – one on the first floor and one on the second.  The third floor/attic, open to the rafters high above, is mostly a…… Continue reading The Armchair in the Attic