Illinois
The cornfields near Polo, IL follow twists and turns as the land enters the Driftless Area. It is here where the sinuous and hilly terrain begin to take over. This area, and Illinois in general, is a very prominent agricultural hub for a variety of crops.
Previously a historic route to Galena, this picturesque area was rift with natural prairie prior to its transformation for agricultural purposes, but the beauty still remains.
This area is one I have visited often and will eventually be a part of a series when I capture the right fall photo. The composition of this lone tree set against the distant row of trees in the background shows what is possibly an old boundary tree isolated in a crop field.
The cornfields near Polo, IL follow twists and turns as the land enters the Driftless Area. It is here where the sinuous and hilly terrain begin to take over. This area, and Illinois in general, is a very prominent agricultural hub for a variety of crops.
This particular area is one I have revisited often, and is part of an ongoing seasonal series yet to be published. This specific scene reminded me of something out of the film Fargo, with the delicate blanket of snow covering the fertile soil beneath.
The composition of this lone tree set against the distant row of trees in the background provided the proper depth for the open spaces these farmlands offer. Previously a historic route to Galena, this picturesque area was rift with natural prairie prior to its transformation for agricultural purposes, but the beauty still remains.
Chicago, and the Midwest in general, are known for having overcast skies half of the year and this day, taking off from Chicago at the tail end of a storm, was no different.
I now always make sure to grab a window seat when flying as I have encountered so many fascinating views flying through the clouds. There is a perspective that is missed on the ground when you are that high up and this beautiful abstraction of grey clouds swirling in strange formations was no exception.
I’m drawn to abstract photography for the reason most are. A lack of form allows the mind to explore itself. One can find meaning from an interior space rather than an exterior one, and it is something I often explore on my travels.
Springbrook Prairie Natural Preserve, located in Naperville, Illinois, is one of the few remaining natural prairies in Illinois, spanning 1,800 acres.
Known as the Prairie State, Illinois’ prairie is now .1% of what it once was, owing this to farming, industrialization, and the scrawling metropolis of Chicago. This Preserve is one of the largest in the Chicagoland area and visiting it is a step back in time.
Planning to photograph the prairie at sunset, this cloud formation became the most interesting thing in the area. The wispy cirrus clouds caught the descending light at just the right angle crystalizing this the fleeting moment.
“The sky is the ultimate art gallery just above us.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-
On my drives across the corn belt, I’ve always been enamored with the lone trees among the endless fields.
Some say they are for markers for property boundaries, others that they were once a primary source of shade for farmers from a bygone era. Whatever the case, their air of mystery sits majestic among the expansive cornfields of the Midwest.
In the Midwest, nuclear power plants are a vital part of the energy infrastructure, and many of them are surrounded by sprawling cornfields. This unusual pairing is more practical than it might seem. Nuclear plants require large safety buffer zones, which makes rural farmland an ideal setting.
At the same time, the actual footprint of a nuclear facility is relatively small, allowing the surrounding land to continue being used for agriculture. Illinois, in particular, stands out as the top nuclear-generating state in the country, with 11 reactors at six sites, most of them nestled in farming regions.
Having just finished photographing these monoliths from the other side, I was stunned by the scene developing in my rear view mirror as I sped down the country road. With someone tailgating me, I signaled at the next service road, parked in front of a farm, and quickly set up my tripod to grab this shot.
Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, Illinois transforms into a stunning winter landscape, with its waterfalls freezing into towering columns of ice. These frozen waterfalls are a major seasonal attraction, drawing hikers, photographers, and ice climbers to the park’s deep sandstone canyons.
Formed by melting snow and natural springs, the waterfalls normally flow through narrow cliff faces, but in winter, they become massive ice formations, sometimes reaching over 80 feet tall. The contrast between the icy formations and the ancient, rust-colored rock walls creates a dramatic and otherworldly scene.
This photo required some careful maneuvering to get to the right position as well as making sure my tripod stayed stable on the ice. This dead leaf stood out among a sea of white and grey and allowed me to capture a long exposure yet the leaf remained still. Taken earlier in my career, I had not come to appreciate the magic of crampons when navigating slick ice.
The land near Savannah, IL marks a change to the typical flatness of Illinois. Known as the Driftless Area, the land becomes more sinuous and roads begin to twist and turn.
During the winter, when these lands turn to a frozen tundra, it reminds one of moods made famous in the film “Fargo” (1996). These lone trees have been thought to have marked boundary lines between properties before modern surveying techniques or to have offered shade during the work day.
There is something about these isolated trees in rural Illinois that continually draws my eye. I always wonder if they wonder where their neighbors went. They remain a beautiful contrast to the endless rows of cornfield, changing seasonal with the crop.
The cornfields near Savannah, IL follow twists and turns as the land enters the Driftless Area. It is here it becomes more sinuous and hilly with various streams run through the land.
It holds the name due to the fact that during the last Ice Age, it was left untouched by the glaciers during. As a result, the Driftless Area features rugged, unglaciated terrain with deep valleys, ridges, and bluffs. The absence of glaciers left the streams to carve out their path over thousands of years.
This particular stream sat tucked off a dirt road in the hills surrounding Savannah, IL, unassuming, beautiful.
Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, Illinois transforms into a stunning winter landscape, and its waterfalls freeze into towering columns of ice. These frozen waterfalls are a major seasonal attraction, drawing hikers, photographers, and ice climbers to the park’s deep sandstone canyons.
Formed by melting snow and natural springs, the waterfalls normally flow through narrow cliff faces, but in winter, they become massive ice formations, sometimes reaching over 80 feet tall. The contrast between the icy formations and the ancient, rust-colored rock walls creates a dramatic and otherworldly scene.
This photo required some careful maneuvering to get to the right position as well as making sure my tripod stayed stable on the ice. Taken earlier in my career, I had not come to appreciate the magic of crampons when navigating slick ice.
Art on the MART is a large-scale public art installation in Chicago that transforms the façade of the Merchandise Mart building into a digital canvas. Launched in 2018, it features nightly projections of contemporary art across 2.5 acres of the building’s river-facing side, making it the largest digital art projection in the world.
The installation showcases work from local, national, and international artists, often in collaboration with cultural institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The projections are free and open to the public, and they typically run from spring through fall.
This offered me a secluded area to shoot, away from the hustle and bustle of the main viewing platform along the river, and provided the perfect vantage point to show off all that makes Chicago great, especially its world class architecture.
From above, Chicago’s famous grid system becomes a kind of urban quilt, stitched with rivers, highways, and rails. The skyline, punctuated by towers like the Willis Tower (though for Chicagoans it will forever be known as the Sears) and the St. Regis, rises like a great sculpture.
The city’s architecture seamlessly incorporates styles ranging from Gothic Revival and Art Deco to International and Postmodern, all layered along the river and gridded streets. Notable landmarks like Marina City, the Tribune Tower, and buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright create a living timeline of American design.
This photograph was taken while departing for O’Hare, heading toward New York. This was the tail-end of a storm and the cumulonimbus clouds gave a staggering scale of the sky in relation to the city, one which will forever remain my home.
“Time is, time was, but time shall be no more.”
- James Joyce (Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man) -
The cornfields near Polo, IL follow twists and turns as the land enters the Driftless Area. It is here where the sinuous and hilly terrain begin to take over. This area, and Illinois in general, is a very prominent agricultural hub for a variety of crops.
Previously a historic route to Galena, this picturesque area was rift with natural prairie prior to its transformation for agricultural purposes, but the beauty still remains.
This area is one I have visited often and will eventually be a part of a series when I capture the right fall photo. The composition of this lone tree set against the distant row of trees in the background shows what is possibly an old boundary tree isolated in a crop field.