“Overlooks”

South shore of Geneva Lake in Wisconsin

May 24, 2024

As I have walked the path around Geneva Lake in Wisconsin over the years doing photography, more and more I was challenged to impose a measure of self-control on my compositions.

One of the best aspects of the 20.2-mile shore path around Geneva Lake is the terrain and its variations.

At one point the path is nearly even with the water, while at another point the elevation is tens of feet above the waterline. I wonder what is the highest point of the path. Cedar Point in Williams Bay, perhaps? Anyone know?

The view where I made this photograph from the path on August 20, 2006, provides a nice command of the water and the surrounding countryside. This is on the south shore approximately an eighth-mile west of Linn Pier.

A common term in photography is depth of field, which refers to sharpness in a photo as determined by the focus of the lens and how the f-stop is set. The term is less of a concern to people using cameras (especially those on cell phones) whose functions are carried out automatically.

Photographers who shoot manually must make their own camera settings to produce certain results. And often depth of field is taken into consideration.

I did not have to worry about that in this photo because of the adequate amount of light and the subject matter. The dynamics of the lens essentially assured me all the details of the photo would be sharp.

What I do like about this image is its depth, made possible by the three main elements – the oak, the boat, and the house. They walk the eye from the foreground to the background. Think of how much distance is covered in this photograph – from one shore to another.

The three elements are familiar. What an anchor the mighty oak is! And yet, as big as I made it, it does not overpower the rest of the photo. At least I do not think so. What about you?

Spend much time walking the path in the summer, and you are bound to see boats of the Lake Geneva Cruise Line pass frequently. This one is the Grand Belle of Geneva.

The mansion Alta Vista is on the distant shore. According to the website lakegenevaestates.com, the first house on the property was a Victorian constructed in 1881 for Orrin Potter. The website states he “ . . . merged the Union and Illinois Steel companies. . . [and] is credited with bringing the iron and steel industry from Pennsylvania to the Midwest.”

The house was destroyed by fire in 1919, shortly after William N. Pelouze bought the estate. He founded Pelouze Scale and Balance Company, and at one time its scales were used exclusively by the United States Postal Service. So, the house in the photograph is the second Alta Vista.

Alta Vista means “high view” in Spanish. I can attest to that, having done photography from the path in front of the house. The views to the southwest are particularly engaging.

I would say the views of the lake by the oak are equally spectacular due to the height. Just beyond the bushes is a sharp drop-off to the lake.

This view is easy to check out. Just take Linn Road (which the locals call “Linn Pier Road” but is not labeled as such on maps) north off South Lakeshore Drive all the way to the Linn Pier lakefront. Walk west on the path until you find the oak.

Of course, with the passage of 18 years, maybe the oak does not have as dominating a presence. Growth of other oaks nearby may be challenging the tree in the photo as the mightiest. That is for you to find out!