Welcome to my Top 15 Photos of 2024 list! For a year that I didn't travel specifically for photography, I was able to see a lot of new places in the south and midwest. My two road trips were to meditation retreats (one in Nashville, one in St. Louis). I drove to both locations and both are 8 hours from Detroit. I broke up my trips with overnight stays halfway between my destinations. It allowed me to see towns and points of interest completely new to me. Which I live for! Cities I had not visited before: Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, Springfield IL, Bloomington, IL, Terra Haute, IN, and a TON of small rural towns that were gone in a blink of an eye.
Without further ado, here is my list, in no certain order, with a story along with each photo:
1. Calloway Barn, Indiana. Did you know that Indiana has more round barns than any other state? The Calloway round barn has a mural of a chicken, cow and horse on it. I used the zoom on my drone to capture this image. The images are not as high quality when zooming, but in this case, I was willing to make an exception to be able to zoom and isolate this scene. I don't like to fly my drone near animals which is why I like to zoom so they stay natural.
2. Detroit Skyline with Train Cars. This image was inspired by a photo on Nailhed's website. With the drone I was able to get up higher to see more of the train cars. This was also captured with my drone using the zoom feature to isolate the train yard and skyline.
3. Elk's National Memorial, Chicago. The image of the Elk's Memorial Grand Reception Hall was captured using my Laowa shift lens as a vertical panorama to adequately capture the stunning details on the room's ceiling. This building's interior is one of my favorites in Chicago! If you want to see other images I've captured over the years from Chicago, go here.
4. Jewel Box Greenhouse at Forest Park, St. Louis. I saw a photo of the Jewel Box Greenhouse while researching locations for my trip, and it is definitely more stunning in the spring with flowers blooming. So instead I did a fall version (because that is when I was there!). I did not go inside, that will have to be for a future trip. Too many photos to take!
5. Bridgeton Mill and Covered Bridge, Indiana. Just northeast of Terre Haute, the Bridgeton Mill and Covered Bridge was literally in the middle of nowhere. But, I loved it! And so worth the trip! You don't see too many mills with a covered bridge right next to it. I was so fortunate to have talked with the owner, an older gentleman who has owned it since the 1990s. We talked for over a half hour, my ear properly bended to take in a good deal of the mill's history. He mentioned the mill is the oldest continuous running business in Indiana.
6. Red Barn with Windows, Indiana. I came across this unique red barn in a Facebook barn group I belong to. I had just enough information to find it's location and pin it before leaving town. It was everything I thought it would be!
7. Jacob Henry Mansion, Joliet, Illinois. This was the second time I stopped to photograph the beautiful Jacob Henry mansion, the first was on our way home from a trip to Iowa in 2023. The sun was out and casting all kinds of shadows. On my way to St Louis, I stopped by again since I was literally driving through Joliet on my way to Springfield. I was happy to have had a nice overcast sky and even light!
8. White Chapel Cemetery Spring Cherry Trees and Tulips, Troy MI. I had to include this image, since it won first place (and a $500 prize!) in the White Chapel Cemetery Tulip contest for 2025. They hold this contest every year, and the first time I've won first place! In a previous year I won second place. I have a long history with this cemetery, since my parents are buried here.
9. Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis. This gothic-styled gated entrance to the Crown Hill Cemetery is gorgeous! In all transparency, this sky is photoshopped, so I was not so lucky to have come across this sunset. I felt like the gate deserved a dramatic sky!
10. Michigan Train Station Before/After. Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware that the Michigan train station has been renovated and is now open to the public. This was BIG news for Detroit. When I was selling my photos at art fairs, the train station was hands-down the most popular building print purchased. I shared this on Facebook earlier this year, and one person commented, "I think I liked it better in it's 'before' state". As a photographer, I can totally relate. Honestly, I would have LOVED to have seen it in use as a train station in it's heyday. That would have been it's best version ever.
11. Mail Pouch Ghost Sign, Redkey Indiana. While my trip to Nashville was more about barns, my trip to St Louis was more about ghost signs (well, and historical buildings!). This is another building I learned about in a Ghost Signs group I belong to on Facebook. Knowing I would be going through Indiana again on my way home, I was willing to make a slight out-of the-way trip to stop here. This town had several ghost signs, including Coca-Cola and Gold Medal Flour (as well as a couple more Mail Pouch). It was a big bang for your buck photo opportunity that paid off handsomely. If you are curious about other ghost and neon signs you can see more in my Detroit Signs and Historic Signs galleries.
12. Soulard Neighborhood Mansion, St Louis. This mansion was NOT on my radar when I arrived in St Louis. I was driving through the Soulard neighborhood lazy with Italianate homes and mansions and came across this beauty. The front yard's walled garden put this one over the top as my favorite home in St Louis. And my favorite neighborhood! I plan to explore it more the next time I visit.
13. Buckingham Fountain in Fog, Chicago. This was the first time photographing the Buckingham fountain not only at night, but also in the fog, and with my drone. It had been raining and thankfully it subsided long enough to get some photos of this scene. Fog in Chicago is truly magical.
14. Union Station Grand Hall Restaurant, St Louis. I was really looking forward to photographing the Union Station, after several images I had seen of it. This is the dining room of The Grand Hall restaurant inside the station. Honestly, I don't think I was supposed to be there with my camera, but someone thought I was staying at the hotel because I was pulling my photo case on wheels, my guess they thought I was pulling luggage. I didn't have the heart to correct them lol! The ONE downfall was...there were Christmas decorations everywhere! Not what I wanted to see when photographing (unless you specifically want to capture that). Due to my amazing Photoshop skills (lol!), I removed what little of the tall tree existed that was mainly behind that tall wooden post on the left (I have no idea what that is). And see that beautiful stained glass window on the left? Could not get the straight on shot of it with the tree either. That just means...I have to go back! See more images from my trip to St Louis in the St Louis gallery.
15. Detroit Skyline with Packard Plant Water Tower. This is another scene I captured with my drone zoom feature. Since I photographed this image, the water tower has been dismantled and is no more. I haven't been by the plant in a month or so, so I'm not sure if the south end is completely gone. The north end is gone except for a small slice purposely kept for some historical purpose. That was a big deal historically, the taking down of the Packard Plant (which was at one time over 3.5 million square feet!) after 50+ years abandoned. There were many good times photographing in there. We will always have our photos to keep us warm at night 😂.
Thank you for looking and for spending some time with my images. Here's to what may come with 2025 adventures!
