FAVORITE PHOTOS 2018

Keeping with a tradition I have followed for a number of years, I am posting some of my favorite photos for 2018.  Because we didn't take any major trips this year and I had some additional responsibilities and commitments, all of the photos were of local subjects, several of which I have shot previously.  Here they are in chronological order.

First is a shot of the Coast Guard lighthouse at Milwaukee's harbor, a subject that I have shot a number of times.  This was taken in January on a bitterly cold day, which gave rise to the winter fog several miles offshore and to the mist rising off the still liquid waters of the lake inside the breakwater.

Next are a couple of abstracts shots of rusted metal that I took later in the spring.

The first actually earned third place for macro in a local photo contest.  But I have come to like the second for its diverse colors.  It was simply rusted sheet metal of an old piece of farm equipment at Pioneer Village, in Saukville, Wisconsin, an outdoor museum that features a collection of reconstructed 19th century buildings and equipment.  I realize the shots are not everyone's cup of tea, but for me they represent my attempt at an outlet in abstract art.

Pioneer Village is located about 20 miles from my home and I found myself going there two or three times over the course of the summer.  Here is a shot of lace curtains that graced a window in one of the village's reconstructed houses.  I was happy with the resolution of this shot, which I took handheld at f/11 for 1/80 second.  I realize that the image is monochromatic, but I liked how the screen behind is faintly visible and that I caught off center the gap between curtains.

Milwaukee is known for its ethnic festivals each summer.  The one I took in this year was Bastille Days, the French festival.  I took the following shot while strolling around the downtown festival grounds.  The shot is not of the festival, but it did include candid shots of four (if you count the baby in arms) individuals in an alley leading to the Federal Courthouse.

On another visit to Pioneer Village, I shot this of weathered wood of an old barn.  I liked the shot both for the grain of the wood and for the overall composition.  I thought the conversion to black and white helped to bring out the weathering.  My criticism of the shot is that I might have increased the depth of field to bring more of the wood grain into focus.

In September, as part of the annual Doors Open Milwaukee event I had the opportunity to photograph some of Milwaukee's landmarks not ordinarily open to the public.  This time I visited Milwaukee's North Avenue water tower, including the interior's helical staircase, which visitors are not allowed to climb.

I also paid a couple of visits to Milwaukee's Mitchell Park Domes, a three-domed conservatory.  Here is one of the shots I took.

The original image included the entire flower.  However, for whatever reason, I chose to crop the photo to include only about 3/4ths of the blossom.  The flower looks largely two-dimensional, but in fact it had a fair amount of depth, with the center of the blossom significantly further away from the lens.  As a result, even at f/25 the focus on the petals is a bit "soft" compared to the center.  I liked that effect, actually.

Late in the fall, I came across a katydid just outside our front door.  The temperature may have been in the upper 30s and the katydid was quite lethargic.  When I brought her (?) inside, she began to move more quickly making photography more challenging.  Nevertheless, after some experimentation I managed the following shot, which is cropped down a fair amount.  (Note the dust motes on the eyeballs.)

Later I took the following shot of acorns fallen from a massive bur oak outside a church about a mile from our home.

Then it was winter.  Here is a shot of an early snow in our subdivision.  I did like the composition, even though it is a bit trite.

A later wind-driven snow resulted in an unusual effect on the trees in a local park.  I liked that the pattern of snow on the trees made for a drawing-like effect.

In between snows, I wandered in some woods in our subdivision and took these shots of leaves that were carpeting the floor of the woods.

Finally, in December I came across this composition of ice and rocks in a rain-retention ditch in our neighborhood.  I did like the gingko leaf that served as an accent for the shot.

John