Machine Shed, Smithshire, IL
This is not the first time I’ve photographed this old machine shed that sits out by itself on the county highway just south of Smithshire, IL. But I just couldn’t pass it up this time with the brilliant sunset happening on the horizon. This photo is an HDR, created from eight different exposures to show [...]
Now Departing Galesburg
Amtrak’s westbound Southwest Chief departs Galesburg, IL after sunset on a winter evening. The many passengers who boarded tonight’s train will arrive in the much warmer climate in Los Angeles in about 36 hours, passing through the beautiful scenery in New Mexico and Arizona en route.
County Road 3000 N
Rising over I-55 just south of Chenoa, IL, County Road 3000 N disappears into the sunset on a winter evening. And as always, be sure to join me on Facebook – Twitter – Flickr
Sunset Over the Open Road
As the sun sinks closer to the horizon, a tractor trailer truck rolls north on I-55 near Chenoa, IL. If you’re seeking semi truck stock photos, please be sure to follow this link to my gallery! And as always, be sure to join me on Facebook – Twitter – Flickr
Prairie Fire Sunset
Earlier this month, while checking the satellite image on one of those typically cold, mid-winter days, I noticed a promising clearing line forming out near the Mississippi River that appeared to be timing itself well to arrive just before sunset. Those conditions can work together to make for some spectacular sunsets, when the last rays [...]
Evening, Williamsfield, IL
Two views of downtown Williamsfield, IL on a warm early fall evening. Be sure to join me on Facebook – Twitter – Flickr
Lightning Bugs on the 4th of July
To me there is nothing more symbolic of summer in the Midwest than lightning bugs. They’re almost like a mini-fireworks display over the fields. So what better day to post this image than the 4th of July? Be sure to join me on Facebook – Twitter – Flickr
Country Roads
It’s about time I got back to blogging. This new photo was made recently on the flat prairie near Cameron, IL, just after sunset. The last rays of the day lit up a nice cloud that was lingering over the plains on this warm summer evening. Be sure to join me on Facebook – Twitter [...]
Sunset on the Illinois River
A week ago, I was doing a little exploring of the Peoria area, waiting for the sun come out. The weatherman had said it would be a ‘mostly sunny’ afternoon, but by 5pm, the sun had not shown itself. There was a clearing line in the west though, so I knew we’d get a bit [...]
Sunset on the Union Pacific Mainline
One of the most impressive pieces of railroad infrastructure in the world is Union Pacific’s mainline across Nebraska. Part of the original Transcontinental Railroad, it’s now three tracks wide for most of the way across the state, and carries over 130 freight trains per day. This section acts as a funnel for most of the [...]
Sunset After the Storm
On the same evening as the previous post, the Double Rainbows, I was headed back to the highway on a small dirt road. The rainbows had faded, as the sun had gone behind another line of clouds right at the horizon before it sunk below the horizon. But sometimes, the moments after the sunset are [...]
Double Rainbow!
Friday I had to be in Freeport, IL to shoot a few photos for a job. The area was getting hit with some pretty good storms all day, and I had to run around between raindrops to get everything finished up. On my way back to Chicago, the rain began to stop and I noticed [...]
Mississippi River Sunset
The sun sets through a few late evening clouds over the calm waters of the Mississippi River. This view, from high on the observation deck at Lookout Point in the Mississippi Palisades State Park near Savanna, is one of the finest views in Illinois. As always, join me on Facebook : Twitter : Flickr
Media Trestle Silhouette
Shortly after the sun has disappeared below the far hills, a fast moving BNSF intermodal train crosses the giant trestle at Media, IL with freight for Chicago. The BNSF’s Chillicothe Subdivision is mostly flat and straight, slicing across the prairie on the quickest route between Chicago and Kansas City. However, early builders ran into a [...]
Under the Skyway
An hour or so after official sunset, the sky in the west still glows, accenting a few clouds moving in off of Lake Michigan, just to the north. The Chicago Skyway bridge rises high above us, getting way up and over the Calumet River to allow uninterrupted boat traffic below. The Norfolk Southern’s lift bridge [...]
Bridges Over The Calumet
The Norfolk Southern’s bridges over the Calumet River stand tall against the sunset sky in South Chicago, IL. The only span in the photo to still have an active railroad on it is the bridge on the left, which carries NS’s Chicago mainline towards Englewood and the BRC, and is quite busy. From left to [...]
Mississippi Sunset
Shortly after the sun had sunk below the far bluffs along the Mississippi River, a fast moving BNSF intermodal train rolls toward a crew change at LaCrosse, WI with autos and containers bound for Seattle. The trains passing kicked up a small blizzard of freshly fallen powdery snow from the banks of the river, as [...]
Zion in HD(R)
Seeing how here in Chicago we’re currently getting a good dumping of snow, I figured I’d take this opportunity to think back to warmer times, when I was driving to California and stopped off in the always amazing Zion National Park. The sun was just setting on a warm spring day, and I pulled off [...]
Prairie Afternoon
A rare Sunday evening post for me, as it’s been really busy around here during the week, and Saturday involved two photo shoots, one morning engagement session in Peoria, and a concert shoot for a corporate client in Chicago during the evening. But I thought I’d put up one new photo here, something which I’ve [...]
Seven Seconds of Skyline
I hesitate to even put this on the blog, but I guess it’ll give an idea of what I’ve been working on lately. This is far from a finished project, but just a seven second piece of a much larger idea, which will be revealed in time… Sunset on Chicago from Nick Suydam on Vimeo. [...]
Freight Yard
I figured I’d put up another photo that I got from my late evening sunset shoot at Union Pacific’s giant Proviso Classification Yard in suburban Chicago. As the sun was setting over the large expanse of tracks, it was almost hard to NOT make a good photo. The light was glinting off of everything in [...]
Sunset Proviso
It’s that time of year again, the time when the sun begins to swing farther south in the sky, putting the sunset back into alignment with a lot of our major east-west transportation arteries, such as the Union Pacific mainline, the Eisenhower Expressway (watch out for those sun glare delays!), etc…. I noticed the other [...]
Cruising the West Side
I’ve always loved motion, and attempting to capture it in photos. So after shooting a few late evening skyline shots from the top of one of my favorite parking garages, I took a few minutes to shoot the trains on the Pink Line as they moved through the new-ish Paulina Connector near the United Center [...]
Late Day Clouds and a Speeding Train
I’ve been absent from the blog for a week or so, and that means that I’ve got a few new shots to post. And they’re not the typical photos that appear here. However, let’s start the week off with something that is a bit related to what I usually post, a train photo. I was [...]
