Last week, I captured some pictures of the Chicago skyline from the Adler Planetarium. This is an iconic scene that's been photographed an endless number of times. My goal was to create something a little different. So, I blended three pictures--all of which were taken at different shutter speeds.

My first picture was taken using conventional settings for this sunny day: shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, f/8, ISO 100

Chicago SkylineChicago skyline from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois on July 1, 2016 The shutter speed of 1/500th of a second freezes the choppy water of Lake Michigan and stops the clouds. I like the image, but experimented further by slowing the shutter speed down to allow more movement within the frame.

This next picture combines three frames using various shutter speeds. For the boats in the harbor (which are quite small in the frame), I used the above picture at the 1/500th shutter speed. Then, I slowed the shutter speed to 45 seconds to allow enough time for the clouds to blow across the frame. Finally, I selected a 5 minute shutter speed to completely smooth out the water in the lake. Here's the combined result:

Chicago SkylineChicago skyline from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois on July 1, 2016 During the conversion to black and white, I boosted the contrast and did some dodging and burning to create more depth within the skyline:

Chicago SkylineChicago skyline from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois on July 1, 2016 It's not that one image is necessarily better than the others--but there's no question that the results are quite different even though the pictures were taken at nearly the same time and from the same position (the camera was locked down on a tripod).

I was able to achieve such a long exposure (5 minutes) on a bright summer day by using a very strong neutral density filter. In this case, I attached a 16 stop ND filter to my Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens.

I hope to experiment with similar techniques during my upcoming trip to Mono Lake in California.

During my photography trip to St. Louis, I hoped to capture some images of the Gateway Arch. To my surprise, the area around the Arch is under construction for the next two years. I learned this the hard way when I was set up for a twilight picture of the Arch. I waited for the Arch to light up only to see it slowly disappear into the night sky. The Arch wasn't illuminated that night--and I'm assuming it won't be lit until the construction is completed in 2017.

Although the area is under construction, I still captured some interesting images of this iconic structure. The following image could probably only be captured during this construction time. Ordinarily, this park would be packed with people. That night, there wasn't a single person on the lawn. The park is fenced off for the construction with just one opening to access the park from the north. And, the bulldozers and other heavy construction equipment aren't visible as they are positioned over the hill from where I was standing.

Gateway ArchGateway Arch at 100 Washington Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri on May 27, 2015 Thankfully, I had an ultra-wide angle lens with me. It took the entire span of my 14mm focal length with a full frame sensor to get this enormous structure to fit into the frame! After all, the Gateway Arch is 63 stories high.

When driving through South Dakota, you can't hardly miss seeing the billboards for Wall Drug. The billboards can be found for hundreds of miles on a stretch of Interstate 90 from Minnesota to Montana. Most years, I drive past Wall, South Dakota without stopping. I gathered that Wall Drug is a major tourist trap and wanted no part of it.

During my last road trip through South Dakota, I stayed in Wall for two nights. Wall is a convenient place to stay when visiting nearby Badlands National Park. My motel was just a short walk from Wall Drug. One afternoon when the light was particularly harsh, I visited Wall Drug. I brought my camera in case there was anything interesting to photograph inside the store.

My visit to Wall Drug was worthwhile for a few reasons. To my surprise, I was permitted to photograph the interior with my tripod. The complex is massive and includes far more than just a drug store. And, I practically had the place to myself as it was the off-season. Photographing the interior would be far more challenging during the summer as Wall Drug attracts more than 2 million visitors each year!

Here are a few pictures from my visit. My motel was located right next to the granary down the street.

Wall Drug StoreWall Drug Store at 510 Main Street in Wall, South Dakota on October 28, 2015 I had no idea that I would add to my list of "Places of Worship" at Wall Drug... The Travelers ChapelThe Travelers Chapel inside Wall Drug Store at 510 Main Street in Wall, South Dakota on October 28, 2015 There are games, historical displays (museum) and restaurants as well... Zoltar SpeaksZoltar Speaks inside Wall Drug Store at 510 Main Street in Wall, South Dakota on October 28, 2015 Wall of PhotographsWalls of photographs inside Wall Drug Store at 510 Main Street in Wall, South Dakota on October 28, 2015 Wall Drug CafeCafe inside Wall Drug Store at 510 Main Street in Wall, South Dakota on October 28, 2015

All that being said, it's still a tourist trap!

Next month, my longest photography road trip (32 days and more than 6,000 miles) will begin! The foundation of my itinerary is the Mission Trail--including the 21 Missions of California positioned from Sonoma to San Diego. In addition to the missions, I'll visit some amazing landscape locations such as Mono Lake (2 nights), Lake Tahoe, Joshua Tree National Park and the California coastline). I've identified some interesting architectural locations--the Bodie Ghost Town, three Presidential libraries and several sites in Los Angeles and San Diego. Finally, I'll visit family along the way (Las Vegas and San Diego).

Of all my photography road trips, this one has been the most complicated one to plan. Unfortunately, I'm traveling during the summer when these locations are both crowded and expensive. During the summer, sunrises are earlier and sunsets are later. At this point, I now have lodging reserved for every night of this trip. The rest of the more detailed planning (i.e., best time to shoot specific locations, planning for parking, etc.) is done on a daily basis. It's just too overwhelming to deal with all of the details for a 32 day trip at once!

Here's my itinerary:

1. Des Moines, IA
2. Omaha, NE
3. Denver, CO - Colorado State Capitol
4. Grand Junction, CO
5. Las Vegas, NV - Visit Family
6. Las Vegas, NV
7. Las Vegas, NV
8. Lee Vining, CA - Mono Lake
9. Lee Vining, CA - Bodie Ghost Town
10. Carson City, NV - Lake Tahoe
11. Fremont, CA - Missions
12. Fremont, CA - Missions, Stanford University
13. San Juan Bautista, CA - Missions
14. Jolon, CA - Missions
15. San Luis Obispo, CA - Missions
16. San Luis Obispo, CA - Hearst Castle
17. Santa Barbara, CA - Missions and Courthouse
18. Oxnard, CA - Missions
19. San Gabriel, CA - Disney Concert Hall, Presidential Libraries (Reagan & Nixon)
20. San Gabriel, CA - Botanic Garden, Churches, Griffith Observatory, Beaches
21. Riverside, CA - Mission Inn
22. Los Angeles, CA - Piers
23. San Diego, CA - Missions
24. San Diego, CA - Zoo, Geisel Library
25. San Diego, CA - Mormon Temple, Beaches
26. San Diego, CA - Visit Family, Mission
27. Palm Springs, CA - Salvation Mountain
28. Joshua Tree, CA - Joshua Tree National Park
29. Gallup, NM
30. Pratt, KS
31. Independence, MO - Truman Presidential Museum and Historic Site
32. Orland Park, IL

Last Thursday, my "Tamarin" picture won Imaging Resource's "Photo of the Day". CLICK HERE to view Imaging Resource's Photo of the Day page.

This image was captured just over a month ago at the Tropic World exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo. The cotton-top tamarin is a challenging subject to photograph due to the low lighting conditions of the indoor exhibit. The tamarin is also tiny--weighing less than one pound!

This marks the 32nd time that one of my photographs was recognized by Imaging Resource as its "Photo of the Day". Click here to view all of the winning entries over the past three years.

TamarinThe cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) is a small New World monkey weighing less than 1 lb. One of the smallest primates, the cotton-top tamarin is easily recognized by the long white sagittal crest extending from its forehead to its shoulders. Photo captured at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois on April 25, 2016

While traveling, I like to keep my electronics (camera, flash units, laptop, etc.) fully powered. And, I like to import photos from my camera's storage cards to my laptop each day. Upon import, I caption the images and then back everything up using two portable external hard drives. All of this can be challenging to accomplish on long road trips while camping at night.

During past trips, I was able to keep current on these tasks. I used a power inverter in my car to keep everything charged. And, I would usually import images on the laptop while sitting in the parked car somewhere.

During my last road trip to the Desert Southwest, I visited McDonald's to accomplish these tasks with ease. In recent months, I've noticed that many of the McDonald's restaurants have power outlets next to the booths. All of the restaurants offer free Wi-Fi.

So, I visit a McDonald's during an off hour in the middle of the afternoon (when the light isn't optimal for photography). While I'm working on my photos (captions, adding GPS coordinates, etc.) on my laptop, my laptop and camera batteries are being charged. The fast internet connection also enables me to look up information to help me with my captioning as well as to do research for the next day's travel.

By the time I leave the restaurant, I'm all caught up and ready to continue with the trip: electronics charged, images imported, photos backed up, emails read, etc.--all with ease and in comfort!

When studying composition, there are many "rules" or guidelines to consider to strengthen an image. Concepts include the rule of thirds, symmetry, leading lines, etc. The S-curve can also introduce a strong element of composition in a frame. I read one reference that described the S-curve as "compositional gold". Some say that the S-curve is one of the only geometrical shapes that can stand alone as a main subject.

You never know when you'll come across a S-curve while shooting. I happened to notice two of them in State Capitol buildings--the first in Kansas and the second in my home state of Illinois. I think the S-curve significantly strengthened the composition of these photographs:

Grand staircaseGrand staircase in the Illinois State Capitol building at 401 S 2nd Street in Springfield, Illinois on August 11, 2014. This photograph consists of five exposures blended together to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image.

During my road trip through South Dakota, I spent a day in Sioux Falls. During my stay, I photographed the spectacular Cathedral of St. Joseph, the Great Plains Zoo and Falls Park.

It was my first time visiting Sioux Falls. It quickly became apparent how the city got its name. The Big Sioux River practically runs right through the downtown area!

Falls ParkBig Sioux River running through Falls Park at 131 E Falls Park Drive in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on October 26, 2015 This photo was taken from the observation deck at Falls Park.