Ideas for places to visit in the Midwest
Wilson’s Ice Cream shop is an iconic business in the town of Ephraim, Wisconsin. It is interesting to photographers because of it’s bright colors, historic look and the angle it sits on the road. As you walk along the road, it takes on a different look. Be sure to see the photo in full screen.
While heading out for some sightseeing with a friend, I notice this beautiful yacht go by. I suggested we go out into some very rough water to photograph the sailboat and the friend agreed. This is the is the result taken from a very bouncy platform! (1/500 sec; 105mm; ISO 320; f9)
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Door-County/i-wdw5573/A
A shallow area on Lake Michigan allows these reeds to grow around this dock, giving a nice effect for this early morning shot.This is one of the many scenic areas in Door County, Wisconsin. A photographer should plan to spend several days to get a number of nice shots.
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Door-County/i-jb7CkSK/A
A trip to Door County required a visit to a new lighthouse. Eagle Bluff Light is on the the Green Bay side of Door County. These place can be difficult to photograph because of all of the visitors and tours. A little patience will pay off.
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Door-County/i-jVfs8q3/A
7000 “Flags of Valor” cover Art Hill in St. Louis’ Forest Park. These flags commemorate 9/11 in 2016 and honor fallen soldiers fighting terrorism. I spent an hour one evening taking photos of the site from various angles. Here is on facing the St. Louis Art Museum with the sun setting in the background.
I have never been to Faust Park in St. Louis County so a few days ago I packed up the dogs and headed that way. The park is famous for its “Butterfly House” where they keep various species of the insect. They also have walking trails in the back. After walking on one trail for about a half mile we found this old house. As it turned out this was Frederick Bates’ home. Bates was the second governor of Missouri.
Here is a front shot of the home, a three shot HDR processed in Lightroom and Photmatix.
One of my dogs thought she was home:
The “castle” at Ha Ha Tonka state park sits on top of a high bluff. Looking in one direction you see the burned out mansion, turn around and this is your view. This is a photo taken at sunset in order to get the nice lighting you see on the trees.
It was a beautiful day today in St. Louis so time to take the dogs for a walk in Forest Park. This is one of my favorite subjects in the park, an old suspension footbridge. The dogs hate this bridge because it has sort of a screen bottom that you can see through. It also sways (not good). If you look through the photos on this page you can see various photos of this bridge.
A classic scene from Missouri Botanical Garden’s Japanese Garden. This is a tree shot HDR photo combined in Photomatix and edited in Lightroom.
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-BLjmMXz/A
Missouri Botanical Garden’s Climatron
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-HsxR4Zd/A
The Climatron simulates a tropical lowland rainforest. In the Climatron there are about 1,200 species of the total estimated 160,000 species of tropical plants. It is an introduction to tropical plants and gives a good glimpse of a warm moist forest. No building can begin to house all of the diverse plant forms found in the tropics, but the Climatron illustrates the structure of the rainforest and many of its special characteristics.
About half of the plants in the Climatron were collected in the field, which gives them more scientific value than plants raised in a greenhouse. The Climatron is also home to representatives of numerous endangered species. Just preserving single specimens of endangered plants cannot save a species. It can help to save a species, however, if these plants are where visitors can see them, learn about them and appreciate them.
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