Ideas for places to visit in the Midwest
This is part of a long building that looks like an old barracks with a vegetable stand on one end. While our group was shopping for vegetables grown out back I walked around this building to get a bunch of photos of this interesting place. The owners could not figure out what I was doing.
This is just one of thousands of interesting scenes in Door County, Wisconsin.
Sunrise on North Bay near Baileys Harbor in Door County, Wisconsin. This view always has spectacular colors but you have to get up early to see them. However, watching the full moon come over the horizon happens in early evening, a much better time.
I really liked the soft tones of some photos I have seen and I have been looking for ways to accomplish the effect. What I found was that you really have to take these photos during the “Golden Hour.” That is, take your photos about 10 minutes before sunrise/sunset to 10 minutes after. The light is softer and the shadows less harsh. Also, the color really stands out.
This photo was taken during a “sunset boat cruise” with some friends. The sun was still up and there were clouds acting as a filter. Also, this is near Canada where, during the summer, the sun slides at an angle past the horizon providing some amazing sunsets.
In photography, timing is important. That means you have to be at a particular place at a particular time to get the right shot. This means you may have to get up very early or miss dinner. This photo was taken last year on Lake Michigan. This year the lake water level is higher and the pier is underwater. Even our Great Lakes have cycles you want to pay attention to.
This photo gives downtown more of a rural look thanks to new landscaping of the Gateway Arch Grounds. Part of a highway along the riverfront was covered over giving an uninterrupted view of the park from the Mississippi River to first line of buildings.
This is one of many wineries in Missouri. It is located not far from Historic Ste. Genevieve, an original French settlement on the Missouri side of the Mississippi river.
Wine making in Missouri goes back to the 1830s and is know for some of the finest wine in the United States. While this area is along the Mississippi, the first vineyards were developed west of St. Louis along the Missouri River.
Currently the eastern side of the state there are many of these wineries along with bed and breakfasts.
The previous photo was sunset from this deck. This is sunrise from Villa 21 at Chaumette winery. I used a 10mm lens to get the converging lines from the deck and the horizon with the sunrise. Staying in this Vialla, at 7:00 am, I stepped out onto the deck with camera and tripod. Took the photo and went back to bed!
This is a high area in the Ozarks with few Ozark type “mountains.” The view is outstanding!
This is one of my all time favorite photos from Chaumette Winery. One day I rented one of their villas and captured this sunset photo from the porch. While Chaumette is in the Missouri Ozarks, this is an area of low rolling hills but the height of the property gives a spectacular view.
This photo was taken with a 10-20mm Sigma lens which is perfect for this photo. The wide angle allows for a view of the buildings, the road disappearing into the distance and the dramatic sky.
Click on the photo to enlarge and get the stats of the photo (little i at the bottom right of the phot).
One of my favorite places to visit. These are the Chalets at Chaumette Winery in Ste. Genevieve Missouri. A 90 minute drive from St. Louis, this is a great place for a day trip or overnight.
You can get one of their very nice Villas for the night; you can have a nice dinner at the winery and then spend the night in your VIlla.
Chaumette is on a large parcel of property with a number of lakes an walking trails. It is also close to historic Ste. Genevieve. Stay for several days and do some exploring.
University City’s Loop Trolley. This is an antique streetcar recently installed in the the University City “Loop” area and terminates in Forest Park by the Missouri History Museum (in the background). This project was very expensive for the St. Louis area and it remains to be seen if it will payoff.
The photo was processed in Topaz Labs Impression software to make it look like it was painted by an impressionist painter (but we know better). Click on the the photo to see full frame.
Walking around St. Louis’ Forest Park, you can find scenes like this. This is a suspension bridge near the landmark Great Basin. 115 years ago this would have been the location of the 1904 World’s Fair Sunken Garden and Palace of Mines and Metallurgy. Now it is a little crossroad of walking paths, streams and lakes.
Great Rivers Imaging 