Beautiful pictures. I live in S Louisiana. We have swamps alligators, cajun culture, festivals. I just started taking pictures again. I got a good camera off the REH site. So far I have taken animal, family, flowers.
Swamp tours are on the list. The scary New Orleans stuff I want to see, not so much the French Quarter, the old plantation homes, Bonnie and Clyde shootout spot, those are must sees for me and everything else is a bonus.
I totally get where the photographer was coming from saying that location X is boring, I feel that way about where I live in Wisconsin. But if I drive a few hours in any direction I can always find something that is worth taking photos of and makes me want to come back.
I think a big part in finding where you live being boring is just not getting out and exploring, to many people stick to their home area or maybe a few minutes or a town away... if you see the same thing ever day, yeah its going to be boring.
So many people live Madison and take a ton of photos here, but I find it boring and uninspiring, but go 20-30 minutes down the road to some small town I have not been to in ages and I can walk away with a dozen images. Seeing something new helps a lot. I also think what you like to take images of plays a MAJOR part in how you see where you live. If I was all about big cities and street and subways... sort of screwed and not really wanting to make the 2 hour drive to Chicago all the time.
Knowing what I like to take images of and just a change in attitude and view of photography has helped me a lot in seeing that even something a few blocks from my apartment I can find something to photograph. But nothing beats getting out of town for the day, someplace new, not to far away, to help spark the excitement to take images; and everyone once in a while, go a little further in your state, maybe a corner that you never ever been to, and just explore. Humans are explorers, don't fight the urge.
Have you explored Mineral Point yet? It's a one-hour drive WSW of Madison and is top of my list for photography the next time I'm able to make it to Wisconsin. I've read that it's Wisconsin's third oldest city and looks like a Cornish mining town from the early 1800s.
An old job of mine was delivering beer and that town was one of my stops, have not been there in 20 years. It’s a nice town and remember it being unique for photography. They do a lot of art fair stuff there too I believe. Don’t get down to that part of the state that much, more a north woods guy myself, along with Door County.
I only mentioned Mineral Point to because you'd mentioned Madison and its environs in your comment. I'd love your shortlist on towns and spots in the Northwoods that you'd recommend I check out! My dad grew up in Pulaski, near Green Bay, and the mystery of what lay between there and the Apostle Islands (and the UP's Porcupine Mountains and Keewenaw Peninsula) have had a siren call on my nature-guy/explorer's imagination ever since. I love backroads and discovering all the places that most people overlook.
Superior and along the lake shore line I really like, probably 5 years since I have been there. I like going to Manitowish area and all the lakes in that part of the state. Door County, cannot go wrong there.
I grew up in Menomonie, so the western part of the state is special place for me and can always find stuff in Eau Claire or Chippewa and lots small towns and back roads.
Try to get over to Milwaukee/Racine/Kenosha a lot too, love the lighthouses along the lake.
Really comes down to what you like to take pictures of.
I do want to get down to Mineral Point, been ages since I made that drive. Would like to get over to Plattville too, never been there but someplace I want to check out.
This is OUTSTANDING, Thomas! You could write and publish a guide (or book!) on photographing Wisconsin! I'm going to print this out and save it ... and if you don't mind, I'm also going to share this with some friends of mine who are headed to Wisconsin next month! Thank you again!
Me a writer, lol, if you only knew. English was my worst subject hands down and lucky for me never had a job that I needed to write anything worth reading.
Depending on when they are coming, mid-July till around mid-August Door County is a really good spot to be. Door County cherries are in, pick your own if you like, lots of stuff to do on the lake, and Washington Isle has a great car ferry you can take and one of the largest lavender farms in the region is full bloom. The wife and I go every year in late July for her birthday and always have a blast. There is also a state park that has a dark zone where you,can see a very star filled sky with like less than 10% light pollution. Even if they do not do photos, great place to go. Not the best for kids, not to much excitement, but also depends on what the kids like to do, Wisconsin Dells is probably more up the alley for kids due to the water parks. Lots of great photo opportunities in the Dells too with the different boat rides and lakes.
I. LOVE. THIS. POST!!!!! JERRED ... you ABSOLUTELY said it ... and ILLUSTRATED it ... SO WELL. To me, honestly, Nebraska is THE *BEST* PLACE ON EARTH for photography. Your opening pano of the Sandhills is case in point! In Nebraska, the ineffable and evanescent are deeper here and in greater quantity than in almost any other place on Earth. We say of certain people, "Still waters run deep" to express how the quietest and least assuming among us are usually the ones with the greatest depth of character, the ones within whom—contrary to initial impressions—exist the greatest quality and quantity of treasures and wisdom, just waiting to be plumbed. When looking at a depth map of the Ogallala Aquifer, one sees that it is beneath NEBRASKA that exists THE GREATEST DEPTH OF STILL WATERS of ANY other place in North America ... a vast and ALMOST MIND-BLOWINGLY DEEP underground sea. The surface may not be flashy enough to compel the impatient to still themselves enough to wait for the exquisite depth of Nebraska to reveal itself. But for those who do choose to still themselves and desire and seek out and wait upon the beauties of Truth, the still-waters-run-deeper-here-than-in-any-other-state will not only not disappoint, but they will reveal themselves to the photographer, revealing profound subjects and beauties of a quality found almost nowhere else on the planet.
It's just like Iowa - you have to really explore to find the hidden gems and beauty. But it's there!
It absolutely is! Thanks for stopping by!
Beautiful pictures. I live in S Louisiana. We have swamps alligators, cajun culture, festivals. I just started taking pictures again. I got a good camera off the REH site. So far I have taken animal, family, flowers.
Jeanne
There are a lot of places I really want to visit in Louisiana, one of those states that I want to travel to and really explore.
It's a pretty state. N Louisiana is hilly, and S Louisiana is flat. Good food and lots to see. There's swamp tours.
Swamp tours are on the list. The scary New Orleans stuff I want to see, not so much the French Quarter, the old plantation homes, Bonnie and Clyde shootout spot, those are must sees for me and everything else is a bonus.
I agree with you on New Orleans. Gone done since Katrina in 2005.
I totally get where the photographer was coming from saying that location X is boring, I feel that way about where I live in Wisconsin. But if I drive a few hours in any direction I can always find something that is worth taking photos of and makes me want to come back.
I think a big part in finding where you live being boring is just not getting out and exploring, to many people stick to their home area or maybe a few minutes or a town away... if you see the same thing ever day, yeah its going to be boring.
So many people live Madison and take a ton of photos here, but I find it boring and uninspiring, but go 20-30 minutes down the road to some small town I have not been to in ages and I can walk away with a dozen images. Seeing something new helps a lot. I also think what you like to take images of plays a MAJOR part in how you see where you live. If I was all about big cities and street and subways... sort of screwed and not really wanting to make the 2 hour drive to Chicago all the time.
Knowing what I like to take images of and just a change in attitude and view of photography has helped me a lot in seeing that even something a few blocks from my apartment I can find something to photograph. But nothing beats getting out of town for the day, someplace new, not to far away, to help spark the excitement to take images; and everyone once in a while, go a little further in your state, maybe a corner that you never ever been to, and just explore. Humans are explorers, don't fight the urge.
Have you explored Mineral Point yet? It's a one-hour drive WSW of Madison and is top of my list for photography the next time I'm able to make it to Wisconsin. I've read that it's Wisconsin's third oldest city and looks like a Cornish mining town from the early 1800s.
An old job of mine was delivering beer and that town was one of my stops, have not been there in 20 years. It’s a nice town and remember it being unique for photography. They do a lot of art fair stuff there too I believe. Don’t get down to that part of the state that much, more a north woods guy myself, along with Door County.
I only mentioned Mineral Point to because you'd mentioned Madison and its environs in your comment. I'd love your shortlist on towns and spots in the Northwoods that you'd recommend I check out! My dad grew up in Pulaski, near Green Bay, and the mystery of what lay between there and the Apostle Islands (and the UP's Porcupine Mountains and Keewenaw Peninsula) have had a siren call on my nature-guy/explorer's imagination ever since. I love backroads and discovering all the places that most people overlook.
Superior and along the lake shore line I really like, probably 5 years since I have been there. I like going to Manitowish area and all the lakes in that part of the state. Door County, cannot go wrong there.
I grew up in Menomonie, so the western part of the state is special place for me and can always find stuff in Eau Claire or Chippewa and lots small towns and back roads.
Try to get over to Milwaukee/Racine/Kenosha a lot too, love the lighthouses along the lake.
Really comes down to what you like to take pictures of.
I do want to get down to Mineral Point, been ages since I made that drive. Would like to get over to Plattville too, never been there but someplace I want to check out.
This is OUTSTANDING, Thomas! You could write and publish a guide (or book!) on photographing Wisconsin! I'm going to print this out and save it ... and if you don't mind, I'm also going to share this with some friends of mine who are headed to Wisconsin next month! Thank you again!
Me a writer, lol, if you only knew. English was my worst subject hands down and lucky for me never had a job that I needed to write anything worth reading.
Depending on when they are coming, mid-July till around mid-August Door County is a really good spot to be. Door County cherries are in, pick your own if you like, lots of stuff to do on the lake, and Washington Isle has a great car ferry you can take and one of the largest lavender farms in the region is full bloom. The wife and I go every year in late July for her birthday and always have a blast. There is also a state park that has a dark zone where you,can see a very star filled sky with like less than 10% light pollution. Even if they do not do photos, great place to go. Not the best for kids, not to much excitement, but also depends on what the kids like to do, Wisconsin Dells is probably more up the alley for kids due to the water parks. Lots of great photo opportunities in the Dells too with the different boat rides and lakes.
I. LOVE. THIS. POST!!!!! JERRED ... you ABSOLUTELY said it ... and ILLUSTRATED it ... SO WELL. To me, honestly, Nebraska is THE *BEST* PLACE ON EARTH for photography. Your opening pano of the Sandhills is case in point! In Nebraska, the ineffable and evanescent are deeper here and in greater quantity than in almost any other place on Earth. We say of certain people, "Still waters run deep" to express how the quietest and least assuming among us are usually the ones with the greatest depth of character, the ones within whom—contrary to initial impressions—exist the greatest quality and quantity of treasures and wisdom, just waiting to be plumbed. When looking at a depth map of the Ogallala Aquifer, one sees that it is beneath NEBRASKA that exists THE GREATEST DEPTH OF STILL WATERS of ANY other place in North America ... a vast and ALMOST MIND-BLOWINGLY DEEP underground sea. The surface may not be flashy enough to compel the impatient to still themselves enough to wait for the exquisite depth of Nebraska to reveal itself. But for those who do choose to still themselves and desire and seek out and wait upon the beauties of Truth, the still-waters-run-deeper-here-than-in-any-other-state will not only not disappoint, but they will reveal themselves to the photographer, revealing profound subjects and beauties of a quality found almost nowhere else on the planet.