LOOKING UP IN THE WOODS

Our subdivision includes a multi-acre woods of deciduous trees.  The woods represent a great addition to our subdivision, and I should wander around in them more often than I do.  However, this afternoon I did, hoping to catch some of the fall colors.  The weather was overcast and threatening rain.  That's not necessarily a bad thing if your object is to capture that color, as, paradoxically, fall colors can be more saturated in the absence of shadows.

Here first, is an indifferent shot of the woods.

I found myself fumbling around looking for opportunities and feeling disappointed . . . until I looked up.  Again, it was overcast and shadowless, and I noticed that the leaves were showing their colors nicely against the background of leaves higher up.  So I concentrated my efforts on capturing the leaves against that multi-colored background.  Here depth of field was all-important.  I wanted to keep the closest leaves, along with the accompanying small branches, in focus, while allowing the background to go out of focus.  Here is what I got.

Some backgrounds were more uniform in color, but I liked the effect for the shapes of the leaves.

In others the varied background served to create color without distracting from the foreground leaves.

John

MILWAUKEE FIRE DEPARTMENT MUSEUM

Milwaukee's Fire Department Museum was part of the Doors Open Milwaukee event in late September.  It is sincere, if small, located in a former firehouse on Milwaukee's South Side.  I wasn't sure how I would try to capture the venue.  There were a few antique vehicles . . .

. . . including this Ford emblem on a fire truck.

But in the end, I decided that my best bet was to focus on the human side of the museum's exhibits:

Boots.

Helmets.

And an old pay phone.

It had been a while since I had seen a dial phone.

John

ST. JOHN'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church is located on the north side of downtown Milwaukee.  The building, a classic example of gothic revival architecture, was completed in 1889.  It was one of the venues open to visitors during the recent Doors Open Milwaukee event and the last that I visited.

Here first is a photo of the exterior, which shows the church's dual steeples of unequal height.  The taller of the two reaches just short of 200 feet above street level.

I was dissatisfied with this shot for a couple of reasons.  First, there were cars parked in front of the church.  Grrr.  I suppose I could have returned at a time when there were no cars parked on the street . . . if I had had the patience.  Second, the top of the higher steeple is cut off.  The reason for this was that I really could not get far enough from the church to eliminate the keystone distortion that my lens was producing.  When in post processing I corrected that distortion the best that I could, it necessitated losing the peak of the steeple.  

Here is another shot taken from directly in front of the church.

More interesting perhaps, but . . . . 

The church's interior is unusual in one respect:  Virtually all of the edges of the support arches are lined with lights, as illustrated in this shot from the rear of the nave, looking toward the sanctuary.

Not to my tastes, as it seemed to give the church a bit of a carnival feel.

On the other hand, I liked the interior's light, pastel tones, as exemplified by the powder blue tones of the sanctuary ceiling.

Following is a shot from the sanctuary toward the rear of the nave, showing the balcony organ.

The organ, a feature of pride for the church, was last rebuilt and enlarged in 1919.

Finally, a shot of one of the church's lovely stained glass windows, my favorite of the series.

John

PUBLIC SERVICE BUILDING

The Public Service Building, in downtown Milwaukee, has had an interesting history.  Completed in 1905, the block-long four-story building initially served as the depot for both Milwaukee's interurban rail line and its street car line.  And it still sports large panels on both its east and west facades where the rails entered and exited the building.  When those services ultimately ended, the building eventually became the corporate headquarters for what is now We Energies, the Southeastern Wisconsin power utility.

The building was open for the late September Doors Open Milwaukee event, and here are some photos that I took during my visit.

First, the building's ornate entrance facade, including the beautiful semicircular window over the entrance.

To give an idea of how well maintained the building's interior is, here is a ceiling detail.

There is a lovely skylight above a staircase landing in the lobby leading to the building's second level.

But the building's best showpiece is its main lobby, including its chandelier.

I was particularly happy with this last shot taken from directly beneath the chandelier.

John