Cityscapes and Architecture

Dixie Chicken Interior

The Dixie Chicken, also known as The Chicken, has been College Station's most famous watering hole since 1974, and is notable for its role in Texas A&M University tradition. Nationally known, the Dixie Chicken claims to serve the most beer per square foot of any bar in the United States. As a former student at Texas A&M, I'll freely admit I spent quite a bit of time at the Chicken.

Architectural EKG

Architectural EKG on the East Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Marcus Center

A high contrast minimalist black and white photograph of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was struck by how the backside of this building (a performing arts center), was so imposing and sort of ominous. Of course, it didn't help that the day was cold and overcast. Taken in the early afternoon, the sky was white. I wanted a dark feel, so I made the sky black and added the streaks. I also did a lot of digital dodging and burning to bring the focal point to the corners of the two tiers of the structure. I purposely did not make the vertical lines of the corners perfectly straight up and down to add to the dark feel. Taken January 10, 2018.

The New Addition

The new addition to the the Milwaukee Art Museum. I find structures like this so fascinating. The combination of harsh lines and solid rectangular shapes with the floor to ceiling glass atrium and metal facade is so...well, so damn cool. Buildings like this just beg to be photographed! Who am I to ignore what the building wants? Day 244 of my 365 photo a day project.

Hardy Gallery

The Hardy Gallery in Ephraim, Wisconsin sits directly on the shore of Eagle Harbor on the Green Bay side of the Door County peninsula. The warehouse building, known as the Anderson Warehouse, is covered on all four sides with the names of boats that have docked there, along with the people who have visited.

The Mast

The bridge mast of the cable-stay footbridge over Lincoln Memorial Drive that connects Wisconsin Avenue to the Milwaukee Art Museum in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Windhover Hall

Windhover Hall at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Day 260 of my 365 photo a day project.

Columbia St Marys Womens Hospital

On the East Side of Milwaukee Wisconsin, on a bluff overlooking the waters of Lake Michigan, stands the Columbia St. Mary's hospital complex.

Hidden Stairway

A mostly hidden outdoor stairway at the new wing of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Architectural DNA

While walking to the store today, I stopped to get a shot of the side of this building. I'm not sure if you can see it, but it looked like a giant DNA test result to me with its thin vertical windows and alternating rusty metal siding and concrete lines. Do you think the architect had that in mind? Hmm... Day 280 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

Direction

"The mind moves in the direction of our currently dominant thoughts." -- Earl Nightingale This photograph was shot on the top floor of a parking garage near my home in Milwaukee. I was initially struck by how one of the directional arrows seemed to point to a solid concrete wall with nothing but an empty void beyond. The other lead down and away from the ledge. Perhaps it is an apt visual representation of the current state of affairs in the world these days.

Parking Garage at the End of the World

The road twisted down into the open mouth of the parking garage. Slow. Slow. Slowly descending into the earth. We would be out of the searing sun and the heart of the day, no doubt. But what of the dangers that lurked below? There was only one way to find out. Down. down. Downward into the blackness. Day 299 of my 365 photo a day project.

Urban Ruins

The last remnant of a large industrial complex from late 1800s sits along the Milwaukee River on the East Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This warehouse is to be torn down in the near future.

Beacon

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." -- Desmond Tutu The North Point Lighthouse along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Lake Park, Milwaukee Wisconsin.

Late Afternoon at the Lighthouse

This is the North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee's Lake Park along the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. This was not what I was planning on shooting but wow, the light was so sublime that I just had to stop. It was almost as if the sun, clouds, and lighthouse were calling to me - Hey, take the picture!! It was quite windy and cold. Not the normal cold we usually have in mid-December here, but cold enough. Especially if you are only wearing a long-sleeved fleece and a hoodie that the wind goes right through. But not one to ignore the obvious call to stop, I stopped and shot. And, boy, am I glad I did. Day 78 of 365

The Steel Tower

The steel clad octagonal tower of the historic North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee Wisconsin's Lake Park on the shores of Lake Michigan. Day 196 of 365

The Downer Theater 2016

I love the entrance to the Downer Theater on the East Side of Milwaukee many times before today. And it never gets old. Built in 1915, it is the oldest theater in the city of Milwaukee that still shows films. The current green enamel facade replaced the orignal in the 1930s. Althought the original auditorium has been split into two screens, it still retains it's historic feel. Now I admit that I don't see many movies in the theater these days. But when I do, seeing a great piece of cinema in a place like this is just awesome. I hope this place is still around in another 100 years or so.

Urban Dinosaur

An urban dinosaur seen in downtown Cudahy, Wisconsin. And it still works! I did a double take when I saw this - I was shocked there were still working pay phones still around.

The Elevator II

The was shot on top of a parking garage on the East Side of Milwaukee. I wanted to do something to emphasize the word "Elevator" in the shot, and thought, what better way than to make it very tall. Processed originally as a horizontal 32-bit HDR pano, I felt vertical was the way to go so I cropped it and added much of the sky in Photoshop.

Tent

"Time is a circus, always packing up and moving away." -- Ben Hecht Shot on a warm mid-summer evening in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Desert Peak

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." --Sir Edmund Hillary

Chicago Union Station

Waiting for the train at Union Station in Chicago.

The Elevated

This was taken from the elevated CTA platform at Randolph and Wabash in the Loop in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

Escape

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

A Place to Sit 1

"The human body has two ends on it: one to create with and one to sit on. Sometimes people get their ends reversed. When this happens they need a kick in the seat of the pants." --Theodore Roosevelt A place to sit. The Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Wisconsin.

Lost and Alone

"Lost and alone on some forgotten highway, traveled by many, remembered by few." --John Denver, Sweet Surrender An old decaying run-down house sits along a country road in rural south central Wisconsin.

Third Ward Alley

An alley in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward warehouse district.

The Windy City

What a day in the Windy City! After well over 10 miles of walking, photographing everything along the way, a couple of great meals, a few tasty beverages, lots of sunburns and blisters, we ended our day sitting on the breakwater near the Adler Planetarium watching the sun go down on the city of Chicago. Day 258 of my 365 photo a day project.