View of the Trestle Trail over Little Lake Butte des Morts, Menasha, Wisconsin

February weather in Wisconsin is known for being cold, windy, cloudy and snowy. Though lacking the pop of color that Wisconsin's other three seasons are known for, winter's gray days accentuate the contrast between the white of the cold snows and the dark tones of buildings, bridges, rocks and trees. This creates perfect conditions for black and white photography.

February lived up to its nasty reputation when we stopped at the trailhead for the Trestle Trail in Menasha, Wisconsin to shoot urban landscapes with the Canon 5D MkIV and the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L IS lens. No snow was falling, but the stiff breeze over the lake made it feel much colder than the indicated air temperature of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The solid overcast skies meant that the day was dim, and what color there was in the landscape was highly subdued.

Still, the light, as if coming from the world's largest soft box, was soft and even, wrapping around everything and opening up details in the shadows. The weather was too cold to shoot for long, but over the course of the next hour we found a few interesting compositions. 

Menasha industrial building on the shore of the Fox River.

A brick industrial building along the shore of the Fox River in Menasha, Wisconsin.

 

The sign for the city of Menasha, Wisconsin over the Trestle Trail on Little Lake Butte des Morts and the Fox River.

The sign for the city of Menasha, Wisconsin over the Trestle Trail on Little Lake Butte des Morts and the Fox River.

 

View of the Trestle Trail over Little Lake Butte des Morts, Menasha, Wisconsin

View of the Trestle Trail over Little Lake Butte des Morts in Menasha, Wisconsin.

We also shot a few panoramas of the area. Setting the lens to its 70mm focal length we shot several images of each scene, stitching them together for the final images in Affinity Photo.

A small island in Little Lake Butte des Morts, Menasha Wisconsin.

A small island in Little Lake Butte des Morts, Menasha Wisconsin.

 

View of industrial plants on the Fox River, Menasha, Wisconsin

View of industrial plants on the Fox River in Menasha, Wisconsin.