Close to Home
Photographing Locally
There is beauty everywhere, including close to home. Before the pandemic, heading to a wildly photogenic, far away location like the desert Southwest, the California coast or the Pacific Northwest was easy. Now that travel is difficult or impossible, we’re learning to “see” the possibilities in our backyards.
Landscape photographers call the Midwest the “flyover” states. You are forced to fly over them to arrive at a much better location closer to the coasts.
Sheltering in place has prompted us to get out and explore our local landscapes. In addition, books like Mike MacDonald’s My Journey Into The Wilds Of Chicago, with its 240 pages of city and suburban forest preserve photographs, are causing us to take a second look at the local scene.
Changing plans
For two years, my cold weather plans focused on the Lake Superior ice caves near Munising, Michigan. But for the last several years, it hasn’t been cold enough. It was time to think locally.
So, when the snow started falling in Chicago Monday evening, I made plans to head out Tuesday morning and photograph. My wife Christine suggested downtown Naperville’s Riverwalk.
According to the city website, “Considered the ‘crown jewel’ of Naperville, the Riverwalk is a place of beauty and tranquility along the West Branch of the DuPage River. It features 1.75 miles of brick paths, fountains, bridges, meeting and event places, outdoor sculpture and artwork, recreational facilities, and celebratory memorials.”
Normally a bustling place, I was virtually alone for three hours. The snow added a wonderful simplicity to the usual visual chaos of trees, bushes, and pathways.
Near the west end of the Riverwalk, my eye was drawn to an interestingly shaped shoreline and reflections in the water. I paused there for about 10 minutes to work the scene.
It isn’t the Big Sur, Horseshoe Bend, or the Rockies, but it is close to home and close to my heart.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck