Tips for taking photos at Lakeshore State Park (or any park!)

July 5, 2023  |  Topics: Places

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By Diane Bacha

Photography by Eddee Daniel

Photographer’s note: This piece is adapted from the original, which was posted on the Friends of Lakeshore State Park newsletter. Diane wrote it based on an interview with me and I am grateful for the opportunity to reprint it here along with a selection of my photos from Lakeshore State Park over the years. For the uninitiated, Lakeshore State Park is a 22-acre DNR property on a manufactured island in Milwaukee’s harbor, just off the Summerfest grounds. It is also the eastern terminus of the Hank Aaron State Trail. ~Eddee Daniel

Photographer Eddee Daniel is a talented and knowledgeable advocate for our natural surroundings. When he explores a park, his camera is just as essential as a water bottle and good hiking boots. Eddee shared some tips about snapping photos in Lakeshore State Park, a setting that offers uniquely dramatic and varied views.

Rule number one: Enjoy yourself. You don’t need to be a pro or think about making art, says Eddee. Just think of your camera as another way to enjoy nature and notice things you might otherwise miss. “It slows you down,” says Eddee. “It’s an exercise in trying to look around you and find the small things, too. And the in-between things. Not just the big things.”

Any kind of camera is OK. Fancy cameras and lenses are great, but if you don’t have those things, don’t worry. Phone cameras can produce wonderful images, and Eddee uses one often. “You always have it on you, so it’s there when you need it.” A camera phone isn’t great for photographing motion, but on the other hand it makes panoramic photos much easier. And with its broad vistas and big skies, Lakeshore State Park is a great place for panoramas, says Eddee.

Start by deciding what your subject is. “You need something to point the camera at, right? It sounds obvious, but it’s important.” When you frame an image, look for a focal point — an animal, a butterfly, a flower, the city skyline.

Consider different angles and distances. Once you’ve picked your subject, try moving around and finding different angles. You can move closer in or farther away, hold the camera higher or lower, center your subject or offset it. “Not only is this going to change your perspective, but it will change the way the light falls on your subject. That’s always important.”

Think about people, too. “Lakeshore State Park is a very popular park, people are constantly going through it,” says Eddee. “If you’re going take a picture of the landscape why not have somebody riding a bike through it? It enlivens the scene and gives you something to relate to.” It offers a sense of scale, too — if the bicyclist looks tiny peddling past Lake Michigan, you get a better sense of where you are.

Watch for moments. A bird diving for fish in the water. A boat sailing by. A dad pushing a stroller. A child collecting stones. Finding a moment makes each photo unique and makes photography even more rewarding.

Take advantage of what’s special about Lakeshore State Park. It’s rare to find a place with the variety Lakeshore State Park offer, with its views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan along with gently undulating prairieland. “There’s no other park that has this,” says Eddee. “And there’s so much sky. Clouds — when they show up — are in my opinion God’s gift to photographers.”

Keep coming back. Like any natural setting, Lakeshore State Parks keeps changing. Try different seasons and different times of day and explore a different area on each visit. As you get to know the park more, you’ll start noticing more.

Related stories from Lakeshore State Park:

Phenology at Lakeshore State Park

The Birds Are Here: Public Art Lands on Lakeshore State Park

Groundhog Day at Lakeshore State Park

Surgeon Fest

Sturgeon Fest: A Child’s Perspective

To learn more about Lakeshore State Park go to our Find-a-Park page.

Additional photos from Lakeshore State Park can be found in my Flickr album.

Diane Bacha is the Business Owner at Whole Brain Communications. Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks and a former board member of Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail, which runs through the park. This story from the Friends of Lakeshore State Park was reprinted with permission. Friends of Lakeshore State Park is a project partner of A Wealth of Nature.

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