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Hiking trail in Three Bridges Park

Photo essay: Shooting Three Bridges Park with the Natural Resources Foundation

August 18, 2021  |  Topics: Events, Places

By Eddee Daniel

We were very fortunate. No extreme heat, no storm. A very good day for photography in the midst of our tumultuous summer. A baker’s dozen participants had signed up for a tour and photo workshop—and it didn’t take long for me to discover they were raring to go!

This session was a reprise of a similar one last summer, but the group was so eager to shoot everything in sight that we only got half as far into the park this year! I shared with them some basic principles of photography—choosing a subject mindfully, varying your point of view, watching for changes in lighting as you face into or away from the sun, and including “the human element”—and pretty much stood back and gave them free rein.

Here is a selection of images, some my own and others submitted to me by the participants as noted.  

The group in action!
The group gathered on the Hank Aaron State Trail.

The group gathered on the Hank Aaron State Trail. Jeff Veglahn.
Great blue heron.
Great blue heron. Stacy Zacher.
Solitary hiker in the urban wilderness.
Monarch butterfly
Viceroy butterfly (a monarch mimic). Chamong Xiong.
Menomonee River Panorama
Menomonee River Panorama using the iPhone’s panorama feature. Three Bridges Park is on the left; the Palermo’s Pizza factory is on the right; the 35th Street Viaduct spans between them over the river.
A view towards the skyline of downtown Milwaukee from the park.
“Coexisting.” A view towards the skyline of downtown Milwaukee from the park. Debbie Lamb
Hank Aaron State Trail Manager Angela Vickio.
Hank Aaron State Trail Manager Angela Vickio.
Infrastructure, old and new
Infrastructure, old and new. Joanne Johnson-Clauser.
Grey-headed coneflowers
Grey-headed coneflowers. Jeff Veglahn.
The group spread out along one of the three eponymous bridges leading into the park
The group spread out along one of the three eponymous bridges leading into the park. Stacy Zacher.
A perspective on Jim at the crest of a hill.
Construction of a new stormwater detention basin behind Palermo's PIzza along the North Bank Trail.
Construction of a new stormwater detention basin behind Palermo’s PIzza along the North Bank Trail.
Nodding onion blossom.
Nodding onion blossom. Jeff Veglahn.
A view of the 35th Street viaduct from the North Bank Trail.
“Coexisting 2.” A view of the 35th Street viaduct from the North Bank Trail. Debbie Lamb.
The North Bank Trail runs along the north bank of the Menomonee River (hence the name), opposite Three Bridges Park, between 33rd Court and the Hank Aaron State Trail in Stormwater Park. Stacy Zacher.
A lone kayaker on the Menomonee River.
A lone kayaker on the Menomonee River. Jeff Veglahn.
And the kayak heading on downstream towards downtown Milwaukee.
The Hank Aaron State Trail in Stormwater Park with a public sculpture entitled “Tilted Channel” by Arlene Shechet. Stormwater Park holds stormwater (hence the name) runoff from the Menomonee Valley industrial park.

I’d like to thank my two co-leaders: Jeff Veglahn, Urban Ecology Center Land Steward, and Angela Vickio, Trail Manager of the Hank Aaron State Trail, which runs through Three Bridges Park. The event was sponsored by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, which organizes field trips throughout Wisconsin.

Related stories:

A photography lesson in Three Bridges Park

Birding, Boats, and Breweries on the Milwaukee River

Touring restoration sites on the Milwaukee River in Ozaukee County

Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks and Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail (FOHAST). Unattributed photos are by Eddee. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, the Urban Ecology Center and FOHAST are all partner organizations of A Wealth of Nature.