Door County Part 2
On the second full day of our Door County trip, we decided on a visit to Washington Island. It’s a short ferry ride just pass the famous scenic highway. I haven’t been to the island and my wife hasn’t visited since she was young and we were excited to explore.
I decided just to bring my M11 and lenses. I wasn’t sure if we’d hike around, there was suppose to be rain that day and the Mamiya kit took up a bit too much room in my camera bag to bring both systems. In hindsight, of course we had gorgeous sun, and we drove around more than I expected so I could have brought the film setup. Maybe next time.
We barely made it on the ferry for our 10 AM time slot. We weren’t the only folks that wanted to make the crossing and the line behind us as we squeezed on the ferry stretched almost back to the scenic highway. The short ride was quite chilly and breezy but I didn’t take many photos on the ferry due to water spray on the lake.
Our next, but real first stop was Stavkirke Chapel. A beautiful tribute to Norway tucked away in trees. Pairing the dark, siding of the building with the bright fall leaves really made this pop.
School house beach. No rocks left the beach with us.
I loved this storage building we found near a small firehouse. I have no idea about the story behind it, but it’s a vibe.
Driving across the island felt eerily empty where we’d see no cars along the road and we’d arrive at the beach, the church or the lookout tower and suddenly we’d be with other visitors. Towards the end of the day we stopped in a yarn and craft school for some souvenirs and gifts. When we remarked about how empty and peaceful it felt during our day there, they said the Fall Fest weekend really marks the end of the season for Washington Island. The ferry schedule shifts, almost all the inns, cottages, and restaurants close. Overall, it was a great day trip.
But I really did wish I brought my Mamiya and some Ektar.
Door County Part 1
In mid-October, my wife and I took a long, kids-free weekend trip to the famed “Cape Cod” of the midwest, Door County, WI. We love the area, it’s local stores and restaurants, and the beautiful surroundings. Each town has it’s own flavor. On our way up we stopped in Egg Harbor and Fish Creek to check out some of our favorite spots before making our way to our Air BnB in Sister Bay.
I had to stop when I saw this crazy purple light by the power station. It had major Stranger Things vibes.
This wasn’t a photography first trip but I did make an extensive list of some of my favorite spots to photograph. We’ve only visited in the summer so I couldn’t wait to get out to see the fall colors #leafpeeping. The first full day, I got up before sunrise to cross the peninsula for Bailey’s Harbor.
I went to Upper and Lower Range Lights in Bailey’s Harbor Ridges Park and the Cana Island Lighthouse. I had my new-to-me RB67 loaded up with Kodak Ektar 100. The clouds were thick so I wasn’t sure how the colors would work. By the time I got to Cana Island the sun came out for some great shots.
Since this was my first outing with the RB67, I bracketed my images to play it safe with unknown lenses. Plus I forgot to advance the film so I lost a couple frames. Every part of this camera is mechanical and manual, but I really appreciated how this slowed me down and forced me to carefully think about my exposure and composition. These were taken with the 90mm F3.8 lens. I metered the Ektar100 to 50 ISO and voila! I really love the colors and contrast from this film. I just wish I had a bit more direct light to really have the images pop. That shutter sound is HEAVY.
Stay tuned for Part 2
Fall Begins
It’s the start of fall but you’d never know it. So far this year, the midwest can’t stop alternating between perfect temps and raining, or hot and with loads of sun.
Regardless of meteorologic disappointments, fall is my favorite season. The days are shorter, it’s usually cooler and that sun light! It’s low and bright, and the light at the beginning and end of the days is just about perfect. The golds, reds, and oranges of the trees peak and there’s a hint of chill at night when I’m chasing the dog around the backyard. Pefection? Just add a firepit.
The late mornings and early evenings mean I’ve been able to see and experience golden hour just driving around for morning errands and drop-offs. This light makes things pop in new and beautiful ways, like this industrial storage area and this funky green folding chair by the road. Would I have noticed this chair just driving around during the middle of the day or at night? Who put it there & why? I’ll probably never know but it’s fun to put a story together in my mind, and I think that’s sometimes the magic in just making photos as I go about my day.
I’ve been on a monochome kick for most of my work lately. When I took my camera out of the packaging I set the JPEG previews to black and white and that’s a huge influence on how see light and compose images. It’s going to change for a bit. My wife and I have a trip to Door County planned in a couple weeks and as of now, it should be peak colors for our trip. An astounding stroke of luck when we booked this a few weeks ago. And I just picked up a Mamiya RB67 with 90mm and 180mm lenses, so what better way to try a new system than a road trip? That can’t backfire, right? I’ll have Kodak Ektar, Porta 160 and 400 on hand for the trip, with slower speed films in one back and the Portra 400 in the other for walk around shots. There’s a literal tub of expired film in my basement, but I’m not confident enough in my film experience to attempt using expired slide film. Yet… I’ll have my rangefinder with 28, 35, 50 and 90mm lenses to round things out and since I can’t imagine not having that camera with me at all times.
Summer 2025
This is just a small selecting of images that highlight the summer and invoke warmth and fun.
Madison Parks Foundation Annual Picnic in the Park
Madison Parks Foundation Annual Fundraising Event
A groovy night for a great cause. I got a chance to photograph the annual Picnic in the Park for the Madison Parks Foundation this year. Event Essentials built 3 gorgeous, themed tents (calling them tents feels like selling them short) for cocktails, dinner and dancing. Spotted throughout the venue were vintage-designed posters from Sam Sullivan Designs showing all the programs the foundation supports and offering QR codes for guests to scan. Local news anchor John Stofflet MC’d this year’s event with musical guest VO5 rocked the night away.
