Lake Minocqua

I am busy preparing 6 years of photos covering the wonderful boathouses of Lake Minocqua (and a few others). Here is a sample of one of those structures with more to come in the next few days!

The Beacons

Calvary

I had to go out to one of St. Louis’ big cemeteries today so I thought I would post this photo of Calvary in North St. Louis. Neighboring Calvary and Bellefontaine cemeteries offer a vast amount of history from the midwest in addition to great photo opportunities. I recommend a visit.

Artist’s Barn

In Hermann, Missouri (Missouri’s wine country) there is an overgrown alley called Hollyhock Alley. If you venture up the steep grade, you will find this old barn along with some hidden Bed and Breakfasts.

Photo tip – invest in a good tripod

tripodTripods improve your photos by providing sharper images, by allowing you to take longer exposures in low light situations and allowing you to take photos in harsh environments. Tripods come in many different price ranges ranging from $30 to $500 or more! This is an area where you should not scrimp. A good solid tripod will be more stable, last longer and be easier to use.

The photo to the right is the Me-Foto I use. Their Road Trip model only weights 3½ lbs. and reached to 61 inches high. These are moderately priced at $150+.

The photo below is a three shot HDR taken in 40mph winds. A light support would not have worked!

http://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Portfolio/i-JczVxsz/A

More from Downtown St. Louis

Here is another version of the previous post. This was a very rainy night that produced some great photos!

This is a three shot HDR photo (ISO 100, f13) with an average exposure of 6 seconds. Processed in Photomatix and Lightroom.

Kiener Plaza

This is Kiener Plaza in St. Louis. More significantly, the building in the background is the Old Courthouse, built between 1839 and 1862. The Courthouse is the site where an enslaved husband and wife, Dred and Harriet Scott, sued for their freedom, and Virginia Minor sued for a woman’s right to vote in 1872. Also, the St. Louis Arch is in the background.

This photo was taken on a rainy evening at ISO 100 with the lens wide open to f2.8. It is a a three shot HDR photo processed in Photomatix and Lightroom.

Forest Park Suspension Bridge

Forest Park in St. Louis is so nicely maintained that it even looks great in the winter. This is an old footbridge along the waterways that run through the Park. This bridge sways so much that my Basset Hounds refuse to walk on it!

This was taken at sunset (50mm, f6.3, 1/250 sec).

Suspension Bridge

Hodgson Water Mill

This old water-mill is located in south central Missouri near the Arkansas border.  The original mill site came to life in 1837. A second mill, built in 1861, burned down as Missouri endured the chaos of the Civil War. Finally, the sturdy building you see in the picture was constructed in 1882.

This photo was taken with my Nikon D7100 and Sigma 17 – 50mm 2.8 lens (ISO 100, f14, 1/10 second) and processed in Lightroom.

Sunset in Forest Park

It is always amazing how beautiful our Forest Park can be.

I am trying a new Sigma lens here. Had to take the photo quickly to capture the geese so the photo is not as sharp as I would like…