Ice Caves

Mid-winter is a great time to bundle-up and explore frozen waterfalls and icicles. I shot this pic in an ice cave in Illinois near Starved Rock State Park. Icicles and frozen waterfalls can be tricky to photograph well. Direct sunlight is not helpful as it creates too great a dynamic range between the darks and lights. However, overcast days are perfect.

An Early Seven

Shooting sunrise in Chicago, Illinois during the summer months is darn near insane! The nights are very short…Too short! The sun rises soooo early in the morning! To catch pre-dawn light and sunrise, one must be up and out of bed just after 4am! I shot this scene very early one morning and used a long (123-second) exposure to smooth out the lake. The morning was beautiful and it's always interesting to watch the city come to life. I'm pretty sure I took a nap that afternoon!