Bridge

There is no doubt about it, the star of the show and the center of the Japanese Garden is the rounded bridge spanning the placid water of the pond. Horizontal or vertical, landscape or portrait, large or small, the peace and harmony of the scene is completely tangible in the photo.

In the next two posts, we will look at a few experiments in post-processing to see some alternate views of the bridge.

Lush and Quiet

From every angle, the Japanese Garden is a picture of peace. Here we see a single silent wildflower and a secondary bridge, found only as you walk around the side of the garden, all surrounded with lush, quiet greenery.
We will return to look at the centerpiece, the star of the show at the Japanese Garden, in the next post.

Japanese Garden

Fabyan Forest Preserve has as one of its features a Japanese Garden. Separated by a rail fence from the rest of the preserve, it is gated and only open at certain times. It is also available for special events, such as wedding party photographs.

But a rail fence is a border marker, not an obstruction to a view.

And any Japanese Garden that is complete with some calm water, a gentle waterfall, and an attractive foot bridge will be a calming, restoring tret to the eyes.

Sunny Silhouettes

Loved the experiments with silhouettes, darkening the sky to generate an ominous yet peaceful look. Here I find it hard to choose between the photographic image with the sharp tree surrounded by rings of cloudy color, or the cartoon impression generated by it. I think this one is tailor-made for a poster.

Which do you prefer?

Love That Bark

No, not the bark of a dog; the bark of a tree. Here the majestic reach of this leafy shade tree provide a nice summery image. But that closeup of the bark highlights the strength of the trunk that holds the tree proudly along the banks of the Fox.

Big River

The Fox River, fed my plentiful rain all spring, ran high the day I was there. These vistas show how lush the greenery is this year, trees and lawns, and how high the waterline is stretching.

Fishing & Photography

During my walk on both sides of the Fox River, I saw people enjoying the wonderful spring day. Naturally, there were fishermen, including this man who is clearly at rest waiting for his catch to show up.

Meanwhile, another photographer was busy collecting images of the day and the event, and I took this shot, reminding me of a day at Wrigley Field years ago. A woman a row ahead of me was writing a poem on the day and the event, and I later wrote a poem on watching a poet writing a poem.

Up the West Bank

Turning at the bridge we saw in the previous post, the Depot Museum and its well-preserved caboose is a wonderful sight for old railfans. Heading north to the west bank of Fabyan Forest Preserve, we get the see the rust on the concrete pylons holding up the modern Fabyan Parkway bridge.

Across The Fox

As you cross the Fox River in Batavia, ready to head back north to the Fabyan Park area, several sights await. The symmetrical bridge is neighbors with a windmill and a historical museum area. A look at the museum in the next post.

Batavia River Trail

A charity walk along the Fox River last month gave me an opportunity to see Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva and a River Trail south into Batavia and across the river. On the east side of the Fox, I saw a classic "Life. Be in it." logo on a post in Batavia, a logo I have not seen in nearly 20 years. It was quite common back in the days I worked at the Lisle Park District. In the other image, a nice light area along the path was quite welcoming, and it was just asking for me to give it a cartoon drawing treatment.

Champions in Collage

The family I was working with has five sons, all of whom will probably love baseball when they reach the appropriate age. Mom wanted to have a collage of some kind, if she could get Dad's 1977 photo restored. She wanted it to be next to the son's same-age championship, with other shots placed around it. We took a shot of Dad with all five sons and off I went.
Mom had scans of several photos and I had the shots I had taken during the game. I think the 16x20 framed collage will be a big hit, and a gift that will be remembered every Father's Day. Thanks for letting me be a part of it!

Happy Father's Day

As I was working on the two teams mentioned in the previous post, the mom of the two boys who were playing in the games asked if I knew anyone who did restoration of photos. It seems her husband, the dad who coaches both his sons in the baseball league, had won a championship at the age of 9, just as his son did a year ago. She had a cracked photo with spots on it and with writing in the sky and on some of the players. Yes, I do know someone. I gave her the url of this blog and asked her to look back to February 2009 when I did some major work on a photo of my grandmother.
The rest was fun. The cracks are nearly gone, the writing is completely gone, the faces are clearer and lighter. I really enjoyed this restoration . . . and the project that was the impetus for it. That will be the subject of the next post.

Baseball Basics

I love shooting baseball, of course, having been a fan since 1956. Baseball and softball are among the best jobs I get during the spring season covering high school athletics and activities. But summer brings a different level for me to shoot . . . the players are much shorter. A recent series of jobs included a team of 7-8 year olds and a team of 9-10 year olds.
The action is great, the dads coaching the teams are very supportive, the basic skills are always being taught. As a photographer I will be able to get angles and viewpoints that the bigger players would block out. Whether it is the ball bounding over the infielder or the player leaning on the fence, the ballpark is the place to be, camera in hand.
These photo shoots also lead to a project to be featured in the next post, on Father's Day.

Wild Flowers

Forest preserves are always worth a look for a photographer with an open mind and an active eye. Be the preserve large or small, famed or unknown, out on a major road or back off the beaten path, every preserve has little gems such as these wildflowers to delight the eye.

South Elgin

Just looking for a place to shoot some good landscapes, I happened upon Kenyon Farm Forest Preserve in South Elgin. Very simple and pleasant, with a small parking lot and paths not paved but cut into the greenery. A small pond and several interesting trees including the arch above. But the highlight had to be on the way back to the car when I caught the Redwing Blackbird in full flight. I just love the spread wings and clearly-defined feathers.

Celebrating Life

The picnic at Morton Arboretum had great food (burgers & hot dogs are great at picnics), nice music from Ac Rock, the doo-wop group which sings a capella, and some nice exhibits to visit. All of us survivors had the chance the sign the banner which we will look for at the 2011 picnic!

Morton Arboretum Roots

A visit to Morton Arboretum gave me a look at the southern edge of the outdoor museum, an area I had not visited previously. Neat hedge gardens surround an open space used for special events, such as the Cancer Survivor's Picnic I was invited to. We also saw a few of this summer's special artwork, featuring artists' impression of the roots that support all the trees.

Fabyan Windmill

Two more shots from along the Fox River in May. One is of the fabled Fabyan Windmill, standing along the Fox for nearly a century now. The other is a dramatic shot of a tree highlighted by the sunset at Fox River Bluffs Forest Preserve.

Elgin Tower

The tallest building right downtown in Elgin is the Art Deco Tower, seen here in two shots of the upper floors. With the evening light coming upon it, it is a solid, majestic building. And then I noticed the fire escape, wondefully forming the intial E, for Elgin. I will assume that was designed into the look of the Tower because if it was not, it was too fortunate to believe.

Elgin Twilight

After a near-sunset shot across the Fox River, I hopped into the car and drove up to Elgin to see the sun set and the lights begin to twinkle in Elgin. Here we see the sun's reflection in the river and, then in Elgin, a ramp into the river just north of the riverboat casino.

The most impressive twilit building in Elgin will be seen in the next post.

In the Gloaming

My Saturday visit to the Fox River Valley had some photos of the onset of darkness. Never knew the exact meaning of "gloaming," but every longtime Cub fan knows a pennant was won in 1938 when Gabby Hartnett hit the "Homer in the Gloaming," while the other team protested it was getting too dark to play. Guess that must be the meaning, then!

About Those Details

Walking up along the Fox Valley Trolley right-of-way from Blackhawk Forest Preserve shows the details I mentioned in the previous post, whether it is the old manual switch device, the intricate rail work that is the midst of the switch, or whether it is the road bed itself flanked by the overhead power lines.

Look closely at the top of the tracks and you see that by May, when these photos were taken, the trolleys have not been running for several months. Tracks in current use are polished by every wheel that turns upon them, sometimes gleaming almost clearly enough to see reflections on them.

Blackhawk Forest Preserve

Located on Route 31 south of South Elgin and north of St. Charles, the Jon Duerr-Blackhawk Forest Preserve is the terminal end of the rail track leading from the Fox Valley Trolley Museum. Offering rides on old-fashioned and reconditioned trolley cars, the museum runs cars down to Blackhawk and back. The ride of about three miles is more than worthwhile in enjoyment for railroad fans.

A visit to Blackhawk is also valuable for those interested in the railway. Walking on the right-of-way gives you an unmatched look at details of the construction of railways, how switches and crossovers work, and other interesting items.

Here we have an image of the terminal platform (there is no station at Blackhawk) at the end of the line, as well as the wye-switch that allows two trains to run on a single track. In the next few posts we will be looking at Blackhawk and another forest preserve and take a peek into Elgin at sunset.

Dusk on the Riverwalk

As dusk fell on the Riverwalk, we headed back to find the car and find a great ice cream parlor. We left with the thickening light of dusk crowding in on the river bank while the warm colors of the setting sun rippled through the DuPage.

Carillon

Proceeding further west in the direction Dick Tracy looks, the further end of the Riverwalk is the beautiful Carillon. At various times, people gather on the lawn to hear the chimes play. To visit the area on any pleasant afternoon is to see a true oasis in the suburbs of Chicago.