Lighted Spaces and Landscapes

Excerpts from a Geographer's Photo Archive

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  • Wells Street Bridge

    Although still a drawbridge, the Wells street bridge doesn’t see the kind of commercial traffic it used to. These days it lifts for tour boats and large pleasure boats. (Milwaukee, 2001)

  • Houses Below the Concrete River

    When I was doing work on “Water and the West,” a colleague and I traveled down the Owens River Valley following the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Here the aqueduct runs above and alongside a housing development. (California, 2005)

  • It’s the Light

    This is not a great looking building on a rather dull street, and yet the light was so good. So often wandering in Iceland not spectacular places looked terrific because of the light–the spectacular places looked even better. (Reykjavik, Iceland 2024)

  • It’s Still a Train Station

    This has been the wallpaper on my phone for a long time. It is decorative, but easy to read icons through. On more than one occasion I’ve been asked what famous church this is. I think it is probably a letdown for them to find out it is the LA Train station. (Los Angeles, 2002)

  • Santa’s Workshop

    This part of the LA Train Station was closed off, but I could look in and take a photo. I’ve seen this on TV a number of times. The most interesting time was when I saw it decked out as Santa’s workshop for an advertisement. (Los Angeles, California, 2002)

  • You Have Seen This Before

    Los Angeles Union Station is one of the most beautiful transportation centers in the US. Although the exterior gardens are nice, the interior is striking. I’ve seen this room on a number of television shows and movies. It makes a great backdrop scene for people catching a meal or chasing down a criminal. Even if you are not taking a train, I recommend a visit next time you are in LA. (Los Angeles, California, 2002)

  • Along the Water of Leith

    Wandering a city leads to nice surprises. Although this spot is on the tourist maps, we found it by our usual method of wandering about. Somehow it is more satisfying to stumble upon things. (Edinburgh, Scotland 2018)

  • Back to School by Boat

    It was the end of the “old ferry” system across the lake and before the revival of the Badger and Lake Express. That summer the Badger was running between Ludington and Milwaukee. My friend and I were working in Northern Michigan and we had to get back to school in Milwaukee. Shortest distance between 2 points (and the cheapest) was across Lake Michigan. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1981)

  • Back to Edinburgh

    When I go back to places I like to do some re-photography. In this case my spring 2015 trip photo is re-imaged in the summer. Still a stunning place with so much human history. (Edinburgh, Scotland, 2018)

  • In the Round (or at least the oval)

    I was back in Columbus for a conference and I had to sneak into the classroom I took statistics in. It was memorable for a number of reasons (the instructor was a doppelgänger for Jim from the show Taxi), but I remember that because the classroom was oval I could hear my classmates whispering across the room and sometimes the instructor’s voice sounded like he was behind me. (Columbus, Ohio, 2019)