Barn

On the outskirts of North Prairie in southeastern Wisconsin there is a cornfield with an old abandoned barn in the middle of it. After driving past it for 19 years, I finally decided to photograph this barn.

Quadracci Pavilion

The Quadracci Pavilion, an addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum is used primarily as a public space with a reception hall, auditorium, cafe, parking, and space for temporary exhibits. The pavilion was completed in 2001 and designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

The Burke Brise Soleil, also known as the Milwaukee Art Museums signature wings is a movable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan. The entire structure weighs 90 tons and is made up of 72 steel frames. There are sensors on the wings that continually monitor wind speed and direction. Whenever the winds exceed 23 mph for more than 3 seconds, they will automatically close.

"The Calling" designed by Mark di Suvero is a sculpture that sits on the top of Wisconsin Avenue in front of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

View of Downtown Milwaukee from the Art Museum

View at the top of Wisconsin Avenue.

March Snow

Well of course, with living in Wisconsin, the weather is always changing. You can go from being 60 degrees one day to 30 degrees the next. It can be sunny shinning one day to 2 inches of snow the next day. And that is exactly what happened on March 20. The whole week was filled with plenty of sun and temperatures in the 50's and 60's. Flowers were starting to open and the trees were starting to show their buds. Though on Friday, a cold front moved in dropping temperates by 25 degrees and snow Saturday morning. We woke up to white grass and flowers closing to protect themselves.

Pussy Willows

The American Willow is native to North America and is most commonly called Pussy Willows. The flowers a soft silvery catkins, borne in early spring before the leaves appear. They are the first signs that spring is arriving and start to bloom before many other shrubs like snowdrops. The shrub contains salicin and was used by many Native Americans as a painkiller. As I walked around the yard today I captured these images of the Pussy Willow starting to bloom.




I also took these other snapshots.

Saffron Crocus

The Crocus is a family of perennial flowering plants that are located all over in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, and China. There are about eighty species of the crocus and vary in color. In North America we can find the Saffron Crocus which gives us the saffron spice from the dried stigmas. All through history it has remained the most expensive spice and has been used in seasoning, fragrance, dye, and medicine. The saffron crocus is native to Southwest Asia and came to North America in the 1700's. With spring starting to show its signs, I was able to capture the Saffron Crocus in my parents yard in Mukwonago, WI.

Also while walking around the yard today I was able to capture these images.

Milwaukee Lake Front

While waiting for my sister's rehearsal to finish, my mother and I took a job by the Milwaukee Lakefront. Out first stop though was near the Third Ward, there was an opening between some buildings that gave a beautiful overlook to downtown Milwaukee. We then made our way to Milwaukee Art Museum and finally down to the actual beach. This helped learn more about different settings with water and color.

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Milwaukee Bridge

While taking my sister to a rehearsal for one of her fashion shows, I decided to take some practice shots. I am still learning the ropes of color, lighting, and aperture, and different poses. A photographer that took some model shots of Jessica last fall took portraits under the Milwaukee Over pass Bridge near the summer grounds. I decided to try to see if I could create some of the same quality that he was able to capture. It was really windy and her hair was all over the place, but I believe the photos turned out pretty good. We also stopped next to an old building near the third ward and took a couple of snapshots. And ironically, one of ladies that is working with the fashion show was actually an engineer and helped build the belt line...what a small world!

West Allis, WI

My sister today had a modeling audition today in West Allis. The audition took place in an old factory that was being remodeled to hold offices. While there we were able to take advantage of the new/old look of the building and took photos of Jessica. We had a lot of fun, and I was also able to take photos of one of her modeling friends.

3-10-10

The day started out rainy and by the afternoon the sun was trying hard to peak out. Though clouds kept the sun covered and with the changing temperatures, fog was created. The days weather gave way to an interesting light to play around with my camera. It also brought out more signs and smells of spring arriving.

First Sign Springs

As the temperatures begin to rise and the snow melts, springs starts to show. Pussy willows and the Magnolia Tree begin to bloom and flowers begin to sprout.