Ideas for places to visit in the Midwest
I watched these trees for about 10 days as they changed to red from the top down. This is St. Louis’ art museum in Forest Park. When the time was right, I took this photo a few minutes before sunrise as a 5 shot HDR (see my tutorial: https://greatriversimaging.com/hdr/), combined them in Photomatix and finished the photo in Lightroom. Since some of the photos are overexposed, you get a daylight look in the photo.
An early walk in St. Louis’ Forest Park can be rewarding. This is the Nathan Frank Band Stand in front of what is known as the Muny Opera, an open air theater. This is a favorite area because there is so much to see within a few hundred feet.
This photo was taken just at sunrise. This is a five shot HDR processed in Photomatix, Lightroom and Photoshop. For more information see my tutorial on HDR: https://greatriversimaging.com/hdr/
Many of the photos on this blog were created using a process called HDR, where multiple photos taken at different exposures, are combined to make one showing a wider light spectrum. Here is a link to my new free tutorial to show how this is done: https://greatriversimaging.com/hdr/
Fall is the high time for taking photos and goes by too quickly to get everything in. One trick in the Midwest is to travel to the very northern part of the country in early October and then come back to the central Midwest for another round of color. If you live in St. Louis, I suggest spending some time in Forest Park for some outstanding scenes or heading to wine country for more great photo opportunities. This photo is from a small town in Indiana called New Harmony. It is only a two hour drive from St. Louis and offers an unending list of things to photograph and do.
One of the keys to better photography is to go back multiple times. This is a scene I discovered in 2014 on my first visit to Door County, Wisconsin. This turns out to be a very popular view for photographers and artists to capture. There are always people in the area taking photos. My first visit was was on a sunny day, creating harsh shadows on the road. On this day, there was a light overcast which provided a bright day but mild shadows.
I used a telephoto lens to compress the road so the curves look closer than they really are. This is a 5 shot HDR photo used to give a natural look and better contrast. Editing in Photomatix and Lightroom gave the final version.
Fall in the North Woods is just about over. This old rail road trestle, now bike trail in North Central Wisconsin shows the changing colors on Lake Minocqua. As fall ends here these great colors will descend on the rest of our country. This is a great time for photographers, be sure to get out and enjoy the season!
On this morning, I got up a little late to capture the sunrise. However, the good news was that this was a few steps from the front door of where I was staying. The other good thing is that in late summer and early fall, the sun comes up later. For those not interested in getting up at 4:30 or 5, this is a good time of the year to get that good shot!
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Door-County/i-6PzLf5H/A
As a Basset Hound enthusiast I like to spend time with people that share my interest. This group of hounds are bred for tracking and compete nationally, showing off their skills. My wife and I will spend a number of fall and winter Sundays watching them perform at various locations around St. Louis and St. Charles counties. They love what they do and their master (shown in this photo).
While visiting some friends on North Bay on the Door County peninsula, I went out early to get some sunrise photos over this beautiful area. Afterwards, a few of us would go out in kayaks to explore the area. Being a neophyte to kayaks I declined to take any electronic devices with me so I took this before heading out.
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Door-County/i-tsK59Pq/A
The upper Midwest can provide some of the most spectacular fall colors and scenic drives. This is a road along Star Lake headed towards Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, an area that includes Manitowish Waters and Minocqua, an island town. Spending a few days here in early October is well worth the trip!
Great Rivers Imaging 