Milwaukee seems to be under a constant state of new construction, especially the downtown area. The developments are an awesome sight for anyone that calls Milwaukee home. The city is growing! Like a lot of those old rust-belt cities around the upper Midwest, Milwaukee has transformed from its old factory ways to become something brand new.
There are so many new and trendy things happening in the city. Summerfest went through a complete overhaul. Northwestern Mutual built a gorgeous new tower by the lakefront. “The Hop,” a new downtown streetcar, takes everyone from the Third Ward to the business district. But the most visible new bit of construction is the Fiserv Forum: Home of the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s an absolutely beautiful building that finished for the 2019 NBA season. For those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of going, Fiserv is an absolute treat to watch a basketball game. The arena also has an amazing little walking district outside, where people can gather to watch a live game on TV.
Luckily for me, Ethan, a senior at Mequon High School, was a star basketball player and wanted nothing more than to take senior portraits down by the new arena. The location perfectly fit his personality. He also loved the overall look of downtown. It was pretty clear urban exploring was his thing, like trying to make his way to the tops of as many tall buildings as he could.
The walking district, dubbed the Deer District, was by far my favorite spot for this photoshoot. I loved the dark greens that adorned the walls and, since it was still partially covered outdoors, the lighting really made Ethan pop. It was by far the best light of the day. These huge Bucks letters were just awesome. I played around with different photo angles while Ethan stood in the middle of them.
We then went a couple of blocks north to the top level of a parking garage where we could see the Milwaukee skyline. I ended capturing some great photos of north 9th street and the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in the background.
Ethan wanted to take more photos up in tall, stark, angular and industrial looking places, and who was I to say no? We went to one of my favorite spots: the Oak Leaf Trail by Lakefront Brewery in Riverwest. It’s such an odd part of the trail because it coincides with a sharp drop-off on a hill with a walkway that juts out into open space. Ethan loved the walkway, so I grabbed a few polished and more creative shots with him, including a silhouette of him palming a basketball that reminded me of the Jordan logo.
We ended the night going to Lakeshore State Park, where we took some night time photos with the lit-up downtown skyline in the background.
If you’re looking to get your senior pictures taken and want to challenge me with some urban exploring like Ethan, please reach out to me and we’ll find new ways to take your portraits while showing off Milwaukee, either above the city or in it.
